Seven Years Later
by bethanyyerinn
Summary: A Merthur. It's been seven years since the end of series 5, and things have changed a lot. Merlin has changed the most, however. Losing Arthur has hardened his heart. Who better to make Merlin himself again than Arthur himself? Spoilers through the end of the show. Ships: Merthur, Gwen/Lancelot. M for sexual content.
1. The Druid's Warning

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**This takes place after series five, so if you haven't finished the series, this will have some serious spoilers.**

* * *

The Queen was in her room, preparing to hold court. She had gotten into the habit of doing it monthly. She would open the doors of the castle so the people could openly come forward and discuss problems in the city. She was glad she had started the tradition, just about four years back, but it was always an exhausting day, and often a sad one too, for she could not solve the problems of all of her subjects.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Guinevere called.

Sir Leon walked in. "Your Majesty, it is time," he said.

"Now, Leon. How many times have I told you?"

"Right, sorry Your Ma—" he began, but at her pursed lips, he corrected, "I mean _Gwen."_ He was quiet for a moment. "It just feels disrespectful," he added.

"Yes, I thought so too, back when I was a servant, but now I understand why Ar—" She paused, biting her lip. Even after seven years, sometimes he was hard to talk about. "Why Arthur didn't like me to call him 'sire'," she said.

Leon nodded sympathetically and she hated it. Because Leon didn't really understand. Losing Arthur had been horrible enough. The news had shattered her heart, broken her soul. But what was worse was realising that she was not the one most hurt by the loss. It was Merlin who felt Arthur's absence more than anyone, more than even she did. The fact that he was hurting so much, she didn't like that… but the selfishness in her also was upset because she always knew something was there between them, but she never admitted it to herself before. And she was afraid—no, she was positive—that Arthur's marriage to her was his second choice. He was even happy with her, probably… but Merlin was always there. In the beginning, she was a bit bitter about it, but she had time since then, many years, to think about it. And now she understood. She could never love Arthur the way Merlin did.

And the funny thing about that was that Merlin had no idea he loved Arthur. And Arthur surely had no idea that he loved Merlin, in life. But it was true on both sides and she had much time to come to terms with that.

Plus, she couldn't stay upset with Merlin over it, not with how he was nowadays. She couldn't bring herself to be mad at him for even a second anymore, not with the state he was perpetually in.

"Your M—Gwen?" Leon prompted. "Are you ready?"

She shook her head, leaving her thoughts. "Yes, I'm ready." He led her through the castle to the throne room.

"There's already a few people outside the castle doors," Leon told her.

She nodded. "I figured as much."

"And one of them is Radamon."

She looked over to him in surprise. "Radamon never comes to court."

"I know. Something must be very wrong."

"Bring him in first."

He nodded and walked away. Radamon was the leader of the Druids since the last one died. Guinevere had been able to legalise magic within two years of her reign. It had been messy at first, but things had gotten simpler in the last three years. It had not only become accepted, but had become rather integrated into Camelot's society.

The Druids, even though they were now welcome in Camelot, usually kept to themselves, so she was surprised to hear that they wanted something of her. She was both curious and worried about what Radamon might have to say.

She walked into the room and was only half surprised that Merlin was not present. As part of her court, he was supposed to be there, but he often spent a long time away from the castle. He'd been gone for almost a month now. She knew she needn't worry about him—even so many years later, it was hard to believe that he was never as helpless as he seemed—so she tried not to dwell on it.

Then Radamon came into the hall.

"Welcome, Radamon," Gwen said.

"It is good to see you, My Queen," Radamon said with a bow. He was followed by a younger man carrying a basket of fruit—a gift for her table. Most people brought them, even though she said there was no need.

"What brings you to see me?" she asked. "Is there trouble?"

"I do not know, Your Majesty."

Her eyebrows pulled together. "What do you mean?"

"I have come here in warning," he told her. "My people, we sense… something is coming."

"Something bad?" Gwen asked.

"Something powerful. Something that will shake the foundations of the society you have been building."

Gwen was confused. "Should I be preparing for battle?"

"I am sorry to be so vague, Your Majesty, but I can't tell you exactly what is to come. Your Court Sorcerer, however, probably could."

Gwen repressed a sigh. "He isn't in the castle right now."

"I know," Radamon replied. "I saw him just three days ago."

Gwen stood without meaning to. "Did you speak to him?"

"Briefly."

"What is he doing?"

He was quiet.

"Tell me, Radamon."

He sighed. "He was in a tavern, milady. Drinking."

It was better than she figured. He did things like this often now.

"I would tell you that you should speak to Kilgharrah about this issue instead, except—"

"Except that my Court Sorcerer is also the last Dragon Lord?" Gwen interrupted. "I know."

"Have you considered another sorcerer?" Radamon asked softly.

"Of course," she said. "But he's the best out there, and he comes when he is needed. He always knows. In fact, he'll probably be here within the day now that we're talking about him," she added with a fond smile.

"If you say so, milady," Radamon said. "That was all I had to say. I thought you should be prepared."

She nodded. "Thank you, Radamon. I will keep your words in mind. Is there anything else I could do for you?"

"Nothing, Your Majesty."

And Radamon left the room.

"Well that was ominous," Leon said.

Gwen gave a nervous little laugh. "Indeed."

"It makes me wonder what is coming."

Gwen nodded. "I fear anything we imagine it might be won't be as drastic as it will truly be." Though she had a nagging suspicion, deep in the back of her mind. She silenced it, because there was no way that what was coming could be _that_. No way at all.

Leon nodded. "So do I."

* * *

It was nearing the end of a very long day for Gwen. The last of the subjects that wanted an audience were filing out.

That was when a good dozen knights burst into the room, all huffing and having wide eyes. In front of them all was Percival.

Gwen stood abruptly at the looks on their faces. "What's happened?"

"It's… It's…" one of the knights was saying. "They're…" He seemed to be in shock.

Percival took another step forward. "Do you remember the prophecy, milady?"

She closed her eyes, exhaling. There was that sneaking suspicion in the back of her mind as to what Radamon meant. She had known deep down that this was what he meant, but she didn't want to believe it.

Kilgharrah told Merlin, back seven years ago, that The Once and Future King would return when Albion's need was dire. That was the only prophecy Percival could have meant.

"Yes, I remember," she choked out.

And then Percival smiled. "He is here. They all are."

"They?" Gwen asked, coming forward.

Then Percival and the other knights moved aside, showing who had walked in. Gwen's heart was racing in her chest. Because there he was.

But he was not alone. Following behind him were Gwaine, Elyan, and Lancelot.

"Arthur," she breathed.


	2. The Second Coming

Maybe five years ago, she would have been happy to see him. But now, knowing what she knew, it hurt. Of course she was happy. She loved Arthur. But she had spent enough time coming to terms with who Arthur was really meant to be with that her feelings had morphed, somehow not as romantic as they used to be. And even as they met eyes, she could feel it. And maybe he could too, because he didn't smile as they looked at each other. He maybe looked a little confused, like he didn't understand why he couldn't feel anything while he looked at her. He was so in denial about his true feelings that he didn't know how he really felt anymore.

Still, she came forward and hugged him, and she admitted that it felt nice to feel him there. He was warm and felt very much alive.

"Arthur," she said.

"You act as if you were expecting me," he said, that same cocky, yet somehow still kind smile as before there on his face.

"We knew you would come back eventually. Just maybe not so soon."

"Yes, I didn't expect to wake up with a dragon in my face," he muttered. "He told me everything, after I stopped trying to kill it. In fact, it looked a lot like the dragon I killed that was attacking Camelot, back all those years ago."

She sighed, not knowing how to explain that it was the same dragon, and that he had never killed it. In fact, Merlin had sent it away with his powers.

"That's because you never killed it," she was surprised to hear Lancelot say. She had been trying not to look at him, but now she had to. "Probably Merlin did something about it, if I had to guess."

"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously.

"You still don't know? I figured you'd have figured out the truth before you died," Lancelot mused.

Arthur looked back to Lancelot in surprise. "_You_ knew? About Merlin?" he snapped. "He told _you_?"

Lancelot looked sheepish and shrugged. "I knew it the first time I met him. He didn't have to tell me. I saw him do magic."

Arthur pursed his lips. "Am I the only one who didn't know?"

"As far as I know," Lancelot said, "I'm the only one who _did_ know. Other than Gaius."

"Where _is_ Gaius?" asked Arthur.

It became quiet. "He passed two years ago," Leon said. They all nodded solemnly.

Then Arthur said, "Did you know?" to Gwen, eyes drilling into her.

She wasn't surprised that all he wanted to talk about was Merlin, but she still wasn't extremely happy about it. She shook her head. "Gaius was the one that told me. Right after the Battle of Camlann. Seeing as he won that battle for us."

Arthur said nothing.

"When did you figure it out?" Lancelot asked Arthur, maybe because the moment had been tense.

Arthur looked to the ground. "The day I died," he said. "Never thought I'd say that," he added. "Talking about me dying in the past tense."

"It is truly a miracle," said Leon.

At that, there were many merry reunions. Gwen knew that, in reality, there was a lot to discuss—Arthur's second coming was supposed to be not only a good thing, but a terrible omen, seeing as he was supposed to come when Albion needed him most—but she figured there was time for that after some greetings. For now, she was just in awe that they were all there, back from the dead. Why was it the rest were there with Arthur? She didn't know, but she was grateful either way.

Gwen went for Elyan first. She couldn't tell how much she had missed her brother over these years and seeing him again made her happier than she could say. Gwaine was slapping Percival on the back, telling him he was getting flabby. Arthur and Leon shared a short, very manly hug. The reunion was an amazing thing.

And then she and Lancelot met eyes and she could not avoid going over to him any longer. She came forward.

"Hello," she said.

He smiled and bowed. "Your Majesty," he said, keeping intense eye contact with her. She felt horrible at the throbbing in her chest at seeing him. "You look beautiful," he told her. She smiled without meaning to. Lancelot always had made her feel this way, ever since the beginning. Once she married Arthur, it had dulled, but now it was back more passionately than it had been in a long time. She had spent all this time trying to let go of Arthur… but she hadn't been spending so much energy letting go of Lancelot and now she could feel that in her heart. She looked over to Arthur… and she wasn't surprised when he was looking around in confusion, scanning across the servants, the court physician who had replaced Gaius—may he rest in peace—quickly. Because the person he really wanted to see wasn't here.

"Where is he?" Arthur asked abruptly, interrupting all conversation.

They all knew who he meant. Leon, Percival, and Gwen all looked between each other.

"Well, you see—" Gwen began, but she couldn't finish, because then, suddenly, the doors reopened. And Merlin stood there.


	3. The Troubled Sorcerer

Arthur gaped at the man that was standing in the doorway, because he couldn't believe that this man was Merlin. It looked like Merlin in many ways… but then it also didn't.

He wore the same clothes as before, with that same stupid kerchief around his neck. He had the same black hair, and the same stupid giant ears, and the same penetrating dark blue eyes. He was still stick thin.

But he was so different. He had stubble, first of all, which was odd enough. He in general just looked older, which was weird to Arthur. They used to be the same age, and now, out of nowhere, Merlin was almost ten years older than him. His hair was growing a bit longer than he used to keep it, like he didn't bother trimming it anymore. His clothes weren't in very good condition, also hinting towards a lack of personal grooming.

But mostly, he looked… hardened. He didn't smile when he opened the door. There was no hint of the joy that used to linger in his eyes even when he was sad. What was left was that melancholy, heavy wisdom. Arthur had always known that was there in his face, even though he never admitted it, but now it was so much more obvious.

If Arthur were to explain it in as few words as possible… Merlin just looked broken.

Nobody else seemed to notice. Gwaine and Lancelot, who were close to Merlin all those years ago, came forward first, grinning and patting him on the back.

"So I hear you're the most powerful sorcerer ever," Gwaine said, as subtle as always. "Should have known. Things always went way too well when you were around. I blamed it on dumb luck, but it seems you fooled us all."

Merlin still wasn't smiling.

Okay, this wasn't actually true. There was something that resembled a smile on his face, and Arthur knew that. But Arthur knew Merlin's smile, better than he knew anyone's. It was wide, and blissful, and dorky. It was the type of smile that was completely contagious. This smile was subdued, and it seemed a little forced, like Merlin hadn't smiled in a long time.

Now Elyan was coming forward to say hello, and even Percival and Leon and the other knights, who had seen him recently, were too. Arthur figured that meant Merlin had been gone for a while. Then he noticed Gwen stayed back with him. She saw something wrong there too.

He looked at her and couldn't figure out why it was different than before. He cared about her, as he always had, but that fiery passion he remembered was gone. And he could see in her face that it was the same for her.

She was looking at Merlin sadly.

"When's the last time he was here?" Arthur asked.

"A month," Gwen replied.

"Where's he been?"

"God knows," she said. "Drinking maybe."

"Drinking? _Merlin_?"

She looked up to him, her face hard. "You've been gone seven years, Arthur. Did you expect everything to be the same when you returned?"

"So he doesn't live here anymore?" he asked.

"No, he does," she said. "He holds a position in the court, actually."

He looked over to her with an incredulous look on his face. "_Merlin_? A position in the court?"

"Arthur," Gwen said exasperatedly. "You know Merlin was never as much of a fool as you thought. Merlin, to be quite frank, is a genius."

"Uh huh," Arthur muttered.

"Deny it all you want," she said. "But he's the Court Sorcerer."

Arthur's jaw dropped. "There's a Court Sorcerer?"

"Like I said, things have changed." But suddenly she looked timid. "Are you unhappy with how I have ruled in your absence?"

He looked at her with a smile, putting his hand on her shoulders. "I walked through town to get here and people seemed happy. I saw the signs of magic there. I knew that had changed." He was quiet for a moment. "It was peaceful. You were right in what you did. Maybe me being gone for a while was just what Camelot needed."

"Most people wouldn't agree."

"I think I need Camelot more than it needs me."

She smiled. "Don't be so sure."

He looked to Merlin. "And it seems if Camelot needed anyone, it was Merlin," he added.

She was quiet for a minute. "You're right. Out of everyone, Merlin is the one Camelot truly needs. He is the bridge that brings everyday life and magic together in harmony. He has nearly singlehandedly kept peace." She stopped again. "But the thing is, Camelot needs you almost just as badly… because _Merlin_ needs you. He doesn't function as well without you."

The comment made his heart skip a beat. He didn't know why, and felt stupid for it, but he wanted the comment to be true.

So naturally, he scoffed. "Of course he does, because the idiot can't do a thing without me."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Sure, Arthur," she said. Then she smiled again, this time more warmly than any of the others. "It's good to have you back."

* * *

Gwen, Arthur, Gwaine, Elyan, Percival, Leon, and Merlin all sat at a table together to discuss matters. Gwen was at the end—Arthur had been offered the seat, but he had declined. The throne was hers now, he figured. At least for now. He was at her right hand… and Merlin was at her left, so right across from him. Merlin still hadn't said anything to Arthur. Arthur hadn't tried to talk to him either. He didn't know what to say.

"So," Gwen said. "We know that the Coming comes with a bad bit." Arthur smiled because, even as Queen, she sounded still the same as always. "We must be in great peril."

"Which is odd," Leon said, "Considering that we are in a time of peace."

"Merlin," Gwen said. "I hope that all that time away yielded some type of idea of what this could mean." She said it pointedly, like she doubted he got anything done at all.

"I have been on many quests while I was away," Merlin said. Arthur's eyebrows furrowed at just this first sentence out of this mouth. Where was that sense of humor? That apologetic smile? "Kilgharrah has had me working on several things."

"Such as?" Gwen asked.

"Searching for dragon eggs, firstly," he said. Arthur was apparently the only one that thought this was odd.

"And?"

Merlin was quiet. "I have looked into the Crystal of Neahtid and seen nothing, milady."

"Still?" she asked.

He nodded.

Arthur found himself irritated. "What are you on about? I remember the Chrystal… but we didn't know what it did."

"_We_ didn't," Gwen corrected. "Merlin always knew." Arthur tried not to be irritated with all the things Merlin seemed to know that he never did. "With it, he can see things, past, present, and future. Only very powerful sorcerers can do this. But… for some reason, he can't see into it anymore. Ever since… well, since seven years ago."

"I even went to the Chrystal Caves," Merlin said. "Nothing. Kilgharrah is worried about this. Something… something hinders my magic."

Arthur found himself glancing to Gwen again, because she, like she had since he arrived, looked like she knew something everyone else didn't.

"So what if…" Gwen said, "the need of Albion is for its best sorcerer to have his great powers restored to him?"

"How could I help him with magic?" Arthur scoffed. "I know nothing of it."

Gwen was silent for a moment too long. "I don't know," she said. There was a long bout of quiet. "But we can speak of this another time," she said. "You must rest."

Leon took Arthur back to his old room, which was emptied of Gwen's things. She had moved into her own room then. It felt somehow final. He didn't feel as much of a sense of loss from it as he thought he should.

Leon was standing in the doorway.

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

"It's good to see you, milord."

Arthur smiled, resting a hand on Leon's shoulder. "You as well, my friend."

"And…" Leon added. "Merlin is staying in Gaius' old quarters."

"Why are you telling me this?"

He was quiet. "Just in case," he said, shutting the door quickly.


	4. The Reoccurring Dream

Arthur felt odd, because things were so different even though he felt he had barely been away at all. Mostly because he almost hollered for Merlin, but then realised that Merlin was no longer his manservant.

Just then, a servant walked in. "Do you need anything, milord?" he asked.

Arthur stood there silently. It wasn't supposed to be this random, short boy standing there telling him that. And he wasn't supposed to be so serious and respectful either. He was supposed to have something cheeky to say.

Arthur realised, in that moment, that he was speaking. "I would like you to tell Merlin to come to my chambers, please."

Arthur hadn't meant to say it, but before he could take it back, the boy was gone. Arthur swallowed hard because… what in hell, was he _nervous_? It was Merlin, for god's sake!

But Arthur had felt that air of power around his old friend—and the distance. Merlin was off, Arthur could tell that much. And he was not hiding his power anymore, which made him somehow intimidating. Everyone felt that way, Arthur could tell. People used to feel comfortable around Merlin, but now… what had happened to him?

And then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Arthur said, and Merlin stepped through the door. Merlin looked at the ground, his facial expression somewhere between sadness and anger. And somehow, Arthur found himself frustrated.

"Why on earth are you so unhappy to see me, Merlin?" he snapped. "Is it because I died? It's not like I meant to do that!"

Merlin looked up and shook his head. "If I believed it was really you, I would be very happy to see you, but it's not."

Now Arthur was confused. "What's that supposed to mean? It's me. I'm right here."

"I've had this dream a hundred times," Merlin said. "You come back and we are all happy to see you. And then I wake up and you're still gone. There's no point in getting my hopes up anymore."

Arthur didn't know what to say. Merlin dreamed about him? Maybe back before he died, he'd have made fun of Merlin, but now it wasn't funny in the slightest.

Arthur came forward a few steps. "Merlin, I'm here. It's me. I swear, this isn't a dream."

"That's what a dream would say," Merlin said, just a hint of his old humour there in his voice.

"Why would you dream about me being alive so much anyway?" Arthur asked. Merlin was quiet. "Hey, if this is a dream, it doesn't matter if you tell the truth, does it?"

Merlin rolled his eyes, and it made Arthur smile. "Even in my dreams, you're dense," Merlin muttered. Arthur smiled wider, even though usually he'd throw something at Merlin for saying something like that. Then Merlin's face became straight again, and he looked Arthur square in the eyes for this first time. Arthur had never seen his eyes so intense before, and it was somehow both frightening and enthralling at the same time. He couldn't look away. "Arthur, more than anything on this whole planet, I want for you to be alive. I'd give anything. And I tried. I spent years looking for the magic to bring you back, only I never found anything. I had finally given into the fact that you were really dead when the dreams started."

"I'm just a pain in your arse anyway," Arthur said.

"True, you are," Merlin said with a shadow of a smile. "And I'd give _anything_ to have you back to be a pain again. You finally learned who I really was, and then you were gone."

Arthur nodded. "I never knew you at all, did I?"

"No, you did," Merlin said. "You knew me as well as you could…"

"But you did so much I never knew. Every time someone has spoken today, it's about another miraculous thing you've done. I fear to know all the things you helped me with that I thought I did alone."

There was the shadow of that smile again. "There were a lot of things like that."

"And you never took the credit."

"I told you," Merlin said, "I didn't do it for credit. I did it because I believed in you and the kingdom you could create."

"So you risked your hide over and over again… for me." Arthur didn't know why it was hard to believe.

"Of course," Merlin said. "There isn't a more worthy cause."

And just when Merlin was almost being himself again, his face hardened. "Look at me, pretending it's really you. I wish I'd just wake up."

"You're not asleep," Arthur said.

"I'll wake up soon. There isn't much more to happen now."

Arthur stared at Merlin, at the pain in his eyes. Arthur hated it. He wanted to know what to do to fix it.

And then he came forward, throwing his arms around Merlin in a hug. He felt odd at first, since he usually didn't hug Merlin unless he had just been in mortal danger… but the longer he held the embrace, the more right it felt. He held on tighter, happy the door was closed so nobody could see.

"Merlin," Arthur said in his ear. "I swear to you, this is real. Did I do this in your dream?"

"Yes, actually," Merlin said. "You give me a hug and then I wake up."

Arthur let go, but didn't actually back away. They were standing uncomfortably close. "But you aren't going to wake up this time."

"I should go," Merlin said.

Arthur literally hated the look on Merlin's face. He looked… well, he looked heartbroken, but that had to have been the wrong word.

But it wasn't.

Arthur, in that moment, was starting to feel what he had always known was between the two of them. Part of the reason he was mean to him was to deny it, but there was this tension there between them, even as Merlin refused to look him in the eye.

And in that moment, Arthur really must have gone mad, because then… he lurched forward and kissed him.

Merlin's eyes snapped to Arthur, wide and for the first time, hopeful. Arthur felt he couldn't breathe, suddenly.

Because he had never felt anything so right, not once in his life. Or afterlife. Or whatever this was.

Merlin was breathing hard—and honestly so was Arthur, even though it had only been a peck.

"Arthur," Merlin finally whispered. Arthur smiled at the sound of it.

"You finally found it out, did you, you moron? It's me," Arthur said.

And then, finally, Merlin grinned. A real Merlin smile, all goofy and wonderful.

"I missed you," Merlin said.

"Yeah, well, I suppose I miss you being my servant," Arthur replied. "I'll have to do things myself now."

Merlin smiled wider. "Dunno how you'll manage."

And then, at the exact same time, they both crashed into one another, their lips meeting fiercely in the middle. Arthur's fingers grabbed tightly into Merlin's hair and they were both gripping one another as tightly as they could.

And Arthur felt maybe he should have been ashamed, or embarrassed, or something like that… but he wasn't, not even a little bit. Because again, this felt _right_. Like he was where he belonged.

Arthur pressed Merlin up against the wooden door, pressing his hands against Merlin's wrists so they were restrained against it, and Arthur pressed as close to Merlin as he could. Against Arthur's lips, there was a muffled groan.

And then Arthur lost all control. He took Merlin away from the door, dragging him farther into the room, and then shoved him down onto the bed. Merlin's eyes were bright again. Maybe he wasn't the same as before, but he looked better. Had Merlin's only problem been that Arthur had been gone? It seemed so.

Arthur gave Merlin a sensual grin. "You missed me?" he asked.

Merlin was looking cheeky again. "Eh, not really. I just said that so you'd kiss me."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that."

* * *

**Hey guys! I hope you like the story so far! I'm not sure whether or not I should add more chapters, so I'll wait until I get some reviews, and if I get enough from people who want more, I'll oblige and write more. So please review! **


	5. The Lazy Day

**Heya folks. Seemed to me that people are enjoying it, since I got a few followers, so I thought it was worth it to continue writing. I just didn't want to waste my time writing this if nobody was reading it. So here y'all go, here's another chapter. Keep on the lookout for more to come. =]**

* * *

Merlin woke up with a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. That dream had been even more intense than the others had ever been. In fact, he felt the dream should have been disgusting to him, but it had made his soul feel lighter, if just until he realised it was all fake. Because here he was, back in his bed—

But wait a second. This bed was far more comfortable than usual.

And so he dared to open his eyes. He had to have a lot of self-control to keep from jumping up in shock, and then starting to dance or something.

He was in Arthur's bed. Instead of reacting in all the ways he wanted to, he stayed completely still. Then he looked to his right.

There was Arthur. He was sleeping on his side, facing Merlin. The blanket had fallen off of him far enough down his hip that Merlin could tell he was naked. Merlin still was too.

So it was true. It had really happened. He couldn't believe it. Arthur was back. And for the first time in a long, long time, he was happy. Really happy. He felt like he was de-aging, back to who he had been before Arthur died. So much so that he almost had the urge to get up and find Arthur some breakfast or something, but he wasn't Arthur's servant anymore. He stared at the ceiling, smiling. He glanced back at Arthur, just to revel in the fact that he was there, but this time when he looked over, Arthur's eyes were open.

"Good morning, sire," Merlin said, not knowing what else to say.

Arthur rolled his eyes, a smile playing at his mouth that he was trying to hide. "Your hair looks ridiculous," Arthur responded.

"Yours doesn't look so good either," Merlin retorted.

"But even at my worst, I look better than you."

"Of course, sire," Merlin mumbled.

Then the look on his face became more serious. "You don't have to call me that."

Merlin was surprised. Arthur had never told him it was okay not to call him 'sire'.

"Seeing as you're apparently the most powerful man in Camelot," Arthur added, sounding a little bitter.

Merlin sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said.

"I know," Arthur muttered. "But I'm starting to feel like I should have seen it."

Merlin shrugged.

"Tell me all the things you did," Arthur suddenly said.

"All of them? That's a lot of things. I wouldn't even know where to start."

"What about when you saved me and got yourself the job as my servant. Did you use magic then?"

Merlin nodded. "Assume that any assassination attempt tried on you failed because of me. And you probably only know about half of them."

Arthur blinked. "Wow. Tell me everything."

"Arthur—"

"I _order_ you to tell me all that you can remember."

Merlin sighed. Well, he'd ordered, after all.

And so Merlin began his tale, the tale of how time and time again, he saved Arthur's life, and made him into the king that he eventually became. They stayed in bed all day, Merlin recounting events that Arthur had always figured were times when Merlin cowered behind a tree, when really he was doing magic to help the battle turn in Arthur's favour. He even talked about some of the sensitive things, like his father, and Freya, and Lancelot coming back from the dead and tricking Gwen. Then he recapped him on some of the things that had happened while Arthur was gone, like the integration of magic and finding two more dragon eggs and Gaius dying.

And Arthur spent much of the time making snarky comments in the beginning, but when Merlin started to talk about the more painful things, Arthur fell silent.

And even after Merlin was done talking, Arthur stayed silent.

"Are you angry with me?" Merlin finally asked. "Because I hid so much from you?"

Arthur kept looking Merlin in the eyes intently. Then he leaned forward, kissing him gently.

"All that time, you spent all your energy watching out for me and I never even noticed when you were in pain yourself. I think that if I were you, I'd have stopped trying."

Merlin smiled a little. "I could never give up on you, Arthur." Merlin, feeling a little nervous, scooted closer to Arthur until he was right next to him. Arthur, by then, was on his back. Arthur, instead of telling Merlin to get away like he half-expected, put his arm around him and Merlin put his head on Arthur's chest.

"Nobody has asked for us," Arthur finally said. "You'd think someone would have looked for us by now."

"Oh, that was me," Merlin said. "I did a spell so that the rest of the castle temporarily forgot about the two of us."

"Really? You can do that?"

"I can do a lot of things," Merlin said vaguely.

"You're kind of amazing, you know that?"

Merlin smiled. "It's weird to hear you say that."

"It's weird for me too, trust me. And I'll never admit it in public. But it's true." Then he was silent again for a long while. "So Lancelot," he finally said. "Lancelot was always in love with Guinevere?"

Merlin nodded against his chest. "Before you were, actually. They connected far before you had even noticed her."

"Do you think she still loves him?"

Merlin thought they were treading dangerous waters. He didn't want to get Gwen in trouble.

"It's just," Arthur said, as if sensing his hesitation, "here I am, with you. And she is alone. I want her to be happy. Do you think she'd be happy with him?"

Merlin considered his answer carefully. "Lancelot is one of the kindest, loyal, noble men that I've ever known. I think anyone could be happy with him."

"Well, if you like him so much, go be with him," Arthur said jokingly.

Merlin smiled and sat up to look at him. "Yes, he is rather better than you. More attractive, a better warrior, but it seems I'm stuck with you."

Arthur's brows went up. "He is not. Take that back."

"It's okay if you're jealous," Merlin said with mock-seriousness.

The look in Arthur's eyes became dangerous. "I told you to take it back. If you don't, you'll regret it."

Merlin felt a heat burning in his lower abdomen at the threat. "Will I?" Merlin asked huskily.

And then Arthur smiled, which really showed he had something evil in mind. He flipped suddenly on top of Merlin and leaned forward until his lips were at Merlin's ear. "Yes, you will," he whispered.


	6. The Forgotten Men

Guinevere woke up that morning feeling particularly odd… almost like she had forgotten something important.

But she couldn't have. She knew that, by some miracle, Elyan, Gwaine, and Lancelot had come back from the dead and that they planned to discuss the miracle at some point that day. So why did she still have this very weird feeling that there was something else going on that she couldn't remember?

She banished the odd feeling and her maidservant helped her get ready for the day, because she had several matters of court to discuss with the knights. The day was exhausting, like most were as queen, but at least she had supper to look forward to. That evening, she met for supper with the three returned knights, for she had told them the night before she wished to dine with them and talk about their return.

She entered the room and was not surprised that only Lancelot was there.

"You're the only one of you three that has any concept of being on time," she said as she walked in. She immediately was met by Lancelot's intense gaze, one she had known and avoided for a long time.

But why had she ever avoided it? She couldn't think of a reason as she stood there gazing at him.

"My lady," Lancelot greeted, bending over to kiss her hand.

"'Gwen' will be just fine," she replied.

He looked up to smile at her, but did not let go of her hand. Why was it making her feel so idly guilty? There was no reason for it. She hastily pushed the odd, unwelcome feeling down, deep down, until she was able to genuinely smile and enjoy his touch. His hands were rough to the touch from a life of fighting, but were oddly gentle as they caressed her hand. The more she looked at him, the more feelings for him arose from deep inside the recesses of her brain, like she had been pushing them down for so long that she nearly forgot they existed.

Without meaning to, they both took a step nearer to each other.

"It is very good to see you… Gwen," Lancelot said quietly. How was it that just his voice could take her own away from her? She felt their faces inching closer to one another without either of them meaning for it to happen, and then—

They both whipped their heads around, hastily stepping away from each other as the door opened and Gwaine strode in with Elyan a foot or so behind him.

"Oh, please, don't stop on our account," Gwaine said. "It's not like either of you are good at hiding your feelings. If you'd rather be _alone_…"

Elyan glared at the back of Gwaine's head—for Gwen still was his sister, she supposed, and he probably didn't like to spend a great deal of time dwelling on who she kissed.

"No, please, come in," Gwen said, sitting down at the end of the table, where Elyan took her right side and Lancelot her left. She smiled at the rightness of it.

* * *

Gwaine's glance flitted between Gwen and Lancelot and he tried not to smile. This behaviour was just a cherry to top the cake of the wonderful day he'd been having. It was amazing how coming back from the dead made all the women in the castle suddenly so very grateful for your existence. They suddenly thought Gwaine was the most desirable thing in the five kingdoms and he really didn't mind that. First there was Reya, and then Giselle, and after that Laura… of course, all but one had just been sudden kisses behind curtains—and he didn't initiate them, of course, because he was a knight and was very honourable. But Giselle… she'd been a little more insistent than some of the other girls and, since she kept saying she _needed_ him, he of course, obliged.

Lancelot and Elyan were asking Gwen about the state of the kingdom while they were gone, but Gwaine couldn't bring himself to pay attention. He knew it was important, but he felt like he hadn't eaten in seven years!

Well, he hadn't, actually. They hadn't gotten around to the whole eating thing the night before, because they'd been talking about what danger could be threatening Albion. And… actually, most of the conversation was rather fuzzy to him. He could hardly remember it at all.

Maybe it was the effect of being dead for so long, because Gwaine felt a little confused on basically everything at that moment. It might sound silly, but he couldn't even remember how he became a knight in the first place. He'd been travelling from tavern to tavern, drinking and getting into trouble for many years, until suddenly… he was knighted. He couldn't remember the ceremony… or even who knighted him.

He shook his head in confusion. How could he not remember who knighted him? Must have been Gwen, seeing as she's the queen.

"Hey, everyone," Gwaine said aloud, everyone looking to him suddenly. "You getting the feeling you're forgetting something?

Everyone actually looked rather relieved at the comment. "It's not just me?" Gwen asked.

"No, I've felt odd all day," Lancelot agreed.

"Same," Elyan said.

Gwen's eyes narrowed. "If we're all feeling it, then… could it be sorcery?"

There was a deep silence while they considered the frightening prospect. Yes, sorcery was integrated into the kingdom now, but that didn't mean they weren't all aware that it wasn't always used for good, just like a sword or any sort of power.

"Maybe," Lancelot mused.

But just then, two figures came into the room, a blond man and a dark haired one. She stood up.

"Who are you?" she accused.

The blond looked at her like she had lost her mind and the thinner man slapped a hand to his own head.

"I did the spell to make them forget us, remember?" the dark-haired one said.

"And you haven't lifted it?" replied the blond one, hitting the other on the back of his head. "Lift it now, Merlin!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Gwen asked. "I am the queen and I demand you tell me who you are!"

Gwaine glanced back at her to see that Lancelot had gotten out his sword and stood protectively in front of her. But he hadn't yet, because he felt like he wasn't supposed to be attacking these men.

And then the darker haired one chanted something in another language with his arm extended toward them, and then his eyes glowed like bright yellow fire.

Then Gwaine blinked hard.

Arthur. Merlin. How on the bloody earth could he possibly forget?

"Oh," Gwen muttered, sounding unsteady. Lancelot managed to catch her before she fell to the ground.

* * *

Merlin looked very closely between Lancelot and Gwen. He hadn't actually considered it when he did the spell in the first place, but them all forgetting about Arthur for a day could do them some good. No doubt that Gwen and Lancelot had some sort of moment when they didn't have Arthur to think about, making them feel guilty. Maybe he shouldn't have lifted it.

Arthur was looking at the two of them as well, as if realising the same thing.

But, instead, they came forward and sat at the empty chairs next to Elyan.

"Merlin," Gwen warned. "Why did you do that?"

"The magic?" Merlin asked lightly. "Just for fun. Did you have a good day?"

"You can't just go making people forget about you. Especially considering you two are about the most important people in the castle."

"Us?" Merlin asked innocently. "_You're_ the queen. I wasn't doing any harm."

Gwen's eyes narrowed a little as she looked at him, more in confusion than anything else. "You seem different," she said. "Happy."

Merlin shrugged. "Got some sleep," he lied.

But from the way that she was eying the two of them, she had at least guessed why Merlin was feeling so chipper.

"Well," Merlin said to change the subject, "I was thinking that tomorrow I'll head off to the Crystal Caves again. I've got a good feeling this time."

Gwen nodded. "Of course. Do you desire any knights?"

He was about to say no before Arthur said, "I'll come."

Merlin looked over to him. "You don't have to do that."

"Someone's got to protect you."

Merlin smirked. "I honestly don't need protection, Arthur."

"Well I'm coming anyway, so don't try to argue about it."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Fine."


	7. The Repressed Truth

Merlin was getting ready to leave when Arthur walked into his quarters and stopped dead. The contents of the room had obviously changed since Gaius passed, since it was now the workshop of the Court Sorcerer, not the Court Physician. There were a lot of things that Merlin had owned for a long time that Arthur had never seen before, like the staff of the Sidhe and the two new dragon eggs and amulets and totems. There were sorcerer's books strewn about and a mixture of aging powder sat in a bowl on the table.

"This is…" Arthur muttered, not seeming to know how to finish.

"This is what I do," Merlin said. "My job."

Arthur came forward, looking at the Crystal of Neahtid. "So this crystal came from the Crystal Caves?" Arthur inquired. Merlin nodded. "Then if you have this here, why are you going to the caves?"

"I know it seems silly," Merlin said, turning away from Arthur to pack up more things for the trip. "But there's something about being _in_ those caves… I'm more likely to see something, and when I do see, I see more. Not to mention they're beautiful."

"So we're just wasting time so you can go sight-seeing?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course, Arthur, that's it. And you don't have to go if it's such a 'waste of time'," he added. He finally turned around and jumped with Arthur was only half a foot behind him. "Damn it, Arthur," he hissed.

Arthur smirked at him. "I like that look on your face," he mentioned. "Alarmed and aroused at the same time."

"Who's aroused?" Merlin asked quietly, even as Arthur was pressed ridiculously close to him.

Arthur continued to smile knowingly at him, but then backed away. "Sorry, sorry," he murmured. "Must have been a mistake."

Merlin took in a breath as quietly as he could before saying, "Alright, time to go."

* * *

Gwen was in her room when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!"

The door opened and Arthur popped his head in, smiling awkwardly. He opened it all the way and had a backpack on, ready for his journey.

"Oh, Arthur, hello," Gwen said, standing.

Arthur looked a little nervous, and Gwen had a feeling she knew what was on his mind. Instead of speaking, he stood there and looked at his feet for a long time. Gwen actually took pity on him after a minute and decided to take a guess at what he wanted to discuss.

"How was spending the day with Merlin?"

She could see him swallow hard. "You know. The usual. Merlin's a lazy idiot."

"We both know that's not what you really think."

Arthur met her eyes, seeming to consider for the first time that she might already know what he wanted to say. Did he think she was stupid enough to never have noticed the way the two of them looked at each other?

"What do I really think then?" Arthur asked.

Gwen was quiet, worried about speaking out of turn. She knew she was queen and didn't have to worry about that type of thing, not really, but Arthur still demanded respect, even when he looked childishly nervous and uncomfortable.

"Please, Guinevere, speak your mind. Don't spare my feelings," Arthur said.

Gwen hesitated for another second. Then, "I think you're in love with him."

Arthur's eyes widened. "_Love_? I don't know about that…"

"Whatever you say," Gwen said, looking back to her parchment. She saw out of the corner of her eye as Arthur came farther into the room, standing in front of her desk. She finally looked up. "Arthur, I know you have feelings for him. I always knew."

"I didn't even know," Arthur retorted.

"A woman knows these things," she said. Arthur nodded, and again, Gwen took pity on the look on his face. "It's okay," she said. "I don't want you to feel guilty. I know things are different now. I am happy to have had time to be with you, but that time is over. I understand." It still made her throat choke up, but she realised as she said it that she meant it.

Then Arthur met her eyes in a more serious way. Then, he said carefully, "I'm glad you feel that way, because I also don't want you to feel guilty."

"Why would I feel guilty?" Gwen asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Oh, I don't know. But if, hypothetically, you were with someone else… I understand too."

Before she could respond, he was out the door.

Had Arthur come to give his blessing for her to be with…

Realising that he had, a subconscious smile found her lips.

* * *

Arthur couldn't even describe how weird it was for Merlin to not be stupid and useless. Arthur saw Merlin using magic before he died, right at the end, to keep him safe, but Arthur had been dying and unable to fight at the time. Now, while Arthur was in perfect health, he expected Merlin to go back to being a sack of potatoes… but he had been very, very wrong.

It all started with the bandits. Arthur heard them coming, and was just about to tell Merlin to hide behind a tree or something, when Merlin muttered some odd words, holding out his arms in the direction of the footsteps. Suddenly three men flew out of the bushes and fell into a pile, one on top of the other—rather comically, actually.

Merlin smiled and approached them.

"Do you need something?" he asked pleasantly.

They looked up at him with scowls, but said nothing. It took Arthur until then to get over his shock—Arthur hadn't even had time to take out his sword—and follow Merlin over.

"Well," Merlin said, "I can't really have you following us, so—"

Merlin waved his hand again, hissing something in that language again. Arthur was surprised to find that watching Merlin do his magic was actually a little… hot. He just looked so intense, and his voice was so low, and then his eyes would flash gold and somehow it made him really attractive.

Arthur bit his lip idly as the bandits all closed their eyes and began to snore and Merlin chanted again, making a huge pile of leaves fall onto the bandits so you couldn't see them unless you were paying attention.

"That should keep them here a while," Merlin said, looking over to Arthur for the first time. Then he looked confused. "What?" he asked defensively. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Instead of answering, Arthur came forward, smashing his lips into Merlin's while still walking forward until Merlin's back thudded against a tree. Arthur's tongue explored Merlin's mouth for a minute, and then he backed away, looking at Merlin intensely, who looked startled and unkempt in a most attractive way.

Merlin, who was breathing hard, looked like he was about to say something, but then he settled for giving Arthur that goofy grin of his.

"We should go," Arthur said gruffly, backing up. "We've wasted enough time with those bandits with your hocus pocus. I could've done that in half the time."

Merlin looked as if he might argue for a moment, but then rolled his eyes and they started to walk again.

* * *

Gwen felt like a child at how nervous her stomach was on her way to Lancelot's chambers. Honestly, it's not like she had never talked to him before.

But this was different. Because the guilt of Arthur wasn't there this time, and Gwen hadn't had a chance to talk to Lancelot with that weight gone in somewhere around ten years.

She knocked and Lancelot opened the door, his mouth opening and closing for a moment in his surprise to see her.

"Guinevere," he said, smiling nervously. "Do you need something?"

Gwen swallowed. "Can I come in?" she asked.

He looked at her more carefully now, as if only just realising that she was nervous.

"Of course, My Lady." He opened the door wider and she walked in the room, looking around.

"I just had an interesting conversation with Arthur," she said, not knowing how else to get to the point other than to just say it.

"Did you?" Lancelot asked.

"Yes. He told me he's fallen for… someone else." She decided at the last second not to say Merlin, but as she looked at Lancelot, it seemed recognition was there in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Lancelot asked.

"Yes, actually," Gwen said, actually smiling a little. "I'm very good."

"Even with that news?"

"Arthur said it," she continued, "because he wanted me to know that I was allowed to do the same. Find someone else."

Lancelot finally seemed to understand where she was going with this, and his eyes widened. "He said this?"

"He did."

"No matter who it is?" he asked, coming closer.

She met his eyes. "I think he knows who I would choose," she said quietly.

Lancelot came another step closer, so he was within arms-length. "And _you_ are sure of who you would choose?"

Gwen's lips twitched up. "There is a man, believe it or not, that I have loved for longer than I have loved Arthur. And he loved me first too." And it really was true. She'd been hiding it for so long... but she loved him. She really did.

Lancelot took this as invitation and reached his hand up, resting it on her face. The tingling in her skin was something she had dearly missed in her life for the past years, the simple touch from someone who adored you. She shut her eyes and leaned into the touch, and in the same moment, lips met her own.

Her eyes opened again and Lancelot looked sheepish and she found it endearing.

"Let's go for a ride," she said.

"To where?"

She was suddenly feeling playful. "Anywhere, as long as you're with me."

For the first time since she came in, he grinned. He took her hand. "Let's go," he replied.

* * *

**Hope you're liking it so far! If so, let me know in a review! Thanks!**

**By the way, get ready for some smuttiness in the next chapter!**


	8. The Heated Journey

**Just a warning, in case you didn't get it at the end of the last chapter, this chapter gets a little smutty. It's not over the top, but if that makes you uncomfortable, there isn't a huge amount of plot information in this chapter, so you could probably skip it.**

**It's kind of BDSM, since in my head Arthur is totally a Dom. Alright, enough warnings. On with the show.**

* * *

Ever since Arthur had attacked Merlin with a kiss after the bandits, Merlin was feeling extremely hot and bothered. Merlin was starting to realise that Arthur was acting the way he was because of Merlin doing magic.

Arthur actually _liked_ watching Merlin use sorcery. He didn't just like it, he thought it was attractive. Appealing. Arousing? Merlin never thought he'd see the day.

And so, Merlin admitted he started using magic for things he didn't necessarily need to. Deepening his voice, exaggerating the gestures, and using as many words as possible for simple tasks. Each time, Arthur would watch him closely with heavy lidded eyes, occasionally bite or lick his lips. After the first time, he didn't lose control again, only gazed at Merlin with poorly-hidden longing.

By the time they reached the Cave, their usual banter had been abandoned and they had spent more than an hour walking in silence, looking at each other occasionally and locking eyes, communicating their need for each other without words.

"We're here," Merlin said quietly. Merlin held his hand out for Arthur, who wasn't even in the mood to make a joke about it and just took it silently. Merlin definitely felt the heat there in Arthur's skin, like what he felt inside was being translated outside too. As soon as their skin met, they met eyes again, both seeming surprised by how much sensation there was there.

They had already slept together once. Merlin was a little confused as to why the attraction between them was so overwhelmingly strong now, as if they never had before.

He concluded that it was just different. Before, it was a reunion, for they hadn't seen each other for so long. It was also a confession, since neither of them had actually admitted their feelings before then. They had been shy, in some ways, reserved.

But the reservations were gone now. There was nobody in the area to hear them, or to look for them. There was no ambiguity on Arthur's situation with Gwen. They were past the point of being ashamed of how they felt.

Merlin shook his head, abandoning his thoughts so he could lead Arthur into the Cave.

And when they go in, instead of looking around at the beauty of the Crystal Cave—which he had already seen before, first of all, but also he was afraid that as soon as he looked, he would be sucked into a vision—he watched Arthur for his reaction.

And it was even more satisfying than Merlin expected it to be. Arthur's jaw dropped as his eyes met all the crystals in the room, protruding from every surface and shattering rainbows over everything. His eyes scanned the area and he was completely and utterly silent. Merlin continued to watch him, tiny rainbows shining in the blue of Arthur's eyes.

"Wow," he finally muttered. Merlin smiled at Arthur's awe. "How could my father ever have thought that magic was all evil?" he asked, not seeming to actually want an answer. Then Arthur looked to Merlin. "Do magic again."

The sense of command in Arthur's voice made his lower abdomen burn. How or when Arthur bossing him around had gone from frustrating to sensual, Merlin didn't know, but he found he actually wanted to obey without argument for once.

He lifted his arm slowly, pointing it straight at Arthur and savoring the anticipation in his eyes. Then he growled out the incantation. After eyeing Merlin for a few moments, Arthur looked around in confusion when nothing seemed to happen.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Step back," Merlin said.

Arthur lifted a brow at him, but still stepped back. Then he gasped in surprise when the ground beneath his feet didn't feel like stone anymore. He sat down, pressing his hands into what looked like rock. Merlin could see the ground squish beneath him.

"It's soft like a bed," Arthur marveled. Merlin nodded and Arthur met his eyes again, an almost tangible flame burning between them. "Come here," he ordered, and Merlin had to suppress a smile as he came towards Arthur. Arthur glanced at the bed, then at Merlin. He took this as a command to sit down, and before his ass had even touched the ground, Arthur was upon him, his burning lips pressed against Merlin's, his hands roaming everywhere and unclothing the sorcerer as they went. Arthur separated for a moment to look at Merlin suggestively and Merlin took this chance to mutter another spell. Suddenly, Arthur's clothes vanished from his body, folded in a neat pile a few feet away. Merlin took a moment to admire Arthur's exposed dick, already hard, but then met Arthur's eyes. Merlin thought Arthur might be mad at him for taking so much control, but he actually grinned.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of that," Arthur muttered. "I can't think of anything more erotic."

Merlin gave Arthur a mischievous smile. "Oh, can't you? I can."

Before Arthur could say anything, Merlin bent down and put his mouth around Arthur's shaft, savoring the gasp of surprise that Arthur gave at the action. Arthur's fingers tangled in Merlin's hair and he grunted appreciatively.

After a minute of that, Arthur shoved at Merlin's shoulders, making him fall back on the bed, and then fell on top of him. Arthur held both of Merlin's wrists above his head with one hand and kissed Merlin hard. Merlin fought against Arthur's hand feebly, surprised that the helpless feeling only made him want Arthur more. But then at the same time, he wanted to touch Arthur too, so he used magic to make Arthur lose his grip.

And Merlin was extremely surprised when Arthur spanked him. Hard.

Merlin gasped. "I thought you never get tired of my magic," he panted, more surprised at how the stinging of his ass was actually pleasurable than at the fact that Arthur hit him in the first place. It's not like Arthur hadn't hit him before. But the fact that Merlin _liked_ the feeling of Arthur hitting him… that was weird.

"I didn't want you to move," Arthur said, seizing Merlin's wrists again. "I like them up there."

Merlin could have argued, and he almost did, but then he decided he didn't really mind it, so he stayed silent and Arthur continued to kiss him, growling things in his ear.

But that was when Merlin accidentally looked over to the side and met eyes with one of the crystals, and immediately, a vision started reeling into his mind.


	9. The Cloaked Figure

**Sorry this chapter took forever. But here you go! Thanks for reading everything so far! I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be, I haven't decided, but there'll definitely be more.**

* * *

Guinevere and Lancelot were out in the forest, watching the sun steadily float through the sky.

"It's been wonderful spending time with you, Guinevere," said Lancelot.

She smiled. She hadn't felt so light in a long time. She hadn't felt so completely happy, no sadness weighing down on her shoulders, no regret or guilt or anything like that. She was just so at peace.

"I've loved today," she replied.

"And you know what?" Lancelot said, a playful smile on his lips.

"What?"

"This isn't just some one-day thing. We can be together whenever we want."

"When I don't have matters of court."

He laughed, something he didn't actually do very often, and took her hand, kissing it gently. "Of course not then."

She sighed, a little bit of the heaviness coming back. "There's so much to figure out. Like what about Arthur? This is his throne, and yet now that he's back, he hasn't shown any intention of taking it back. We haven't even publicly announced that he's alive."

Lancelot nodded. "You're right. There's a lot to consider. But things won't be any more horrible if we wait until tomorrow, will they?"

She smiled. "You're right. I'll stop thinking about it. Just for today."

"Just for today," he repeated.

Then, out of nowhere, the warning bells sounded.

Gwen hadn't heard those bells in a very long time. Nobody had tried to cause trouble in years. The kingdom was at peace.

So what was going on?

They jumped up and Gwen's servant started packing everything up while Lancelot and Gwen made a fast trail for the castle.

They came into the castle and everyone was running around frantically.

"What's happened?" Gwen yelled as soon as she walked in.

Percival was the nearest knight. "Someone's broken into the castle. A cloaked figure. Nobody saw the face."

"What did they want?"

"Nobody knows. We can't find him."

She looked at him incredulously. "You saw him, but now you can't find him."

"Your Majesty, it was sorcery. He was there, and then he was gone."

Her eyes widened. "There haven't been any hostile magicians in a long time. Has something happened?"

"Not that I know of."

She was silent for a moment. "It's happened. What the Great Dragon warned."

"That is what I fear," said Sir Leon, who had just appeared.

"And now Merlin isn't here to help," Gwen added.

"It's weird, thinking our lives are in Merlin's hands," said Gwaine, who had also filtered into the area.

"Our lives have always been in his hands, ever since he came to Camelot all those years ago," said Gwen.

"Your lives in the hands of a sorcerer. How ironic," said a high voice.

They all turned, and there was the exact person they had all been looking for, just standing there. All that could really be seen of them was a blue cloak with runes around the edges. The person was holding something in each arm, that much was obvious.

"Arrest them!" Gwen said immediately.

But when they tried to move, nothing happened. Magic was holding them all captive.

"Not today," the figure said. "Today is when I finally exact my revenge."

"Revenge? For what? What have I done to you?"

"It is what Camelot does. You, as a royal of Camelot, are poison. This kingdom is poison. And I will purge this land of your evil."

And the figure was gone.

* * *

Merlin's mind was immediately assaulted with image after image, each bombarded on him every few seconds, and then replayed over and over again.

There were the dragons first. Kilgharrah, and then Aithusa, and then the two nameless dragon eggs that sat in Merlin's workshop. Each were shown in turn, and then Merlin was shown, speaking in the language of the dragons. Yes, he was the last dragonlord, he knew that already.

Then there was a figure walking through the halls of the castle. Merlin could not see the person's face, as they were wearing a brilliant blue clock with runes lining the edges. They were walking into Merlin's workshop, and then they grabbed the dragon eggs from their shelf and walked out of the shop.

Then the next picture was just the figure outside, somewhere outside of Camelot. The figure was still covered, but he could hear their voice, high and clear as it echoed through the area.

And he knew what the voice was saying. Only he would know, because up until that point, he was sure that he was the only human who knew how to speak it at all.

This person, whoever they were, was a dragonlord.

How was it possible? Merlin had no idea. But he didn't have much time to think about it, because then, a moment later, Merlin was shown, yelling in a dark hole, pounding on the walls.

And then, after that, the figure in the cloak was shown again, speaking to the dragons. And then the for living dragons, hearing the dragonlord's call, were descending on Camelot.

"Just because the Pendragons are no more, it does not erase their crimes! You will pay for all my dead kin!"

The pictures were playing, over and over and over and over and they wouldn't stop—

Merlin's eyes snapped open. Arthur, still naked, was staring down at him in alarm, shaking him. As soon as Merlin looked to him, Arthur gasped, "Are you alright? You scared me! What's happening?"

But Merlin was feeling twitchy and felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Another dragonlord. There's another dragonlord."

"That's not possible," Arthur said. "My father killed them all, all other than your father."

Merlin was shaking his head, because how could he have been so dumb as to not have considered this before? He was the most powerful sorcerer ever to live and he had never, not even once, thought about the fact that something like this might happen. How was he supposed to save everyone from doom if he was going to be this dense?

"He thought he did, because we all didn't know the truth." Merlin suddenly sounded eerily calm as he looked into Arthur's wide blue eyes.

"What truth?"

"We thought the gift of the dragonlord is passed from father to son."

Arthur looked at Merlin in confusion. "But it is!"

There was a silence.

And then Merlin said, "No. Because this dragonlord was a woman."


	10. The Dragon-Sealed Door

**Sorry this chapter took so long! It was finals week, busy busy busy. But here it is! Better late than never!**

* * *

Merlin was extremely quiet as he undid the spell on the floor that had made it soft. The pictures were going through his head still. The dragons, the woman in the cloak… Merlin being trapped somewhere, unable to help Camelot. He hadn't mentioned that to Arthur yet. What was he supposed to say? _Just so you know, Arthur, when this terrible threat comes and destroys Camelot, whose safety you value more than your own, I'll be some other place, completely useless to you. _Like Arthur used to always think Merlin was. Maybe it was selfish, but he didn't want Arthur to ever think he was useless again.

But he wasn't stupid enough to think he could stop the vision from happening either. He had tried that before. He had grown up since then, and he knew that trying to change the future ultimately did nothing at all. In his case so many years ago, it _caused_ it to happen. So Merlin just had to keep himself from being trapped for too long was all. And then save Camelot at the very last minute. And fight against a dragonlord, who will be able to control Kilgharrah and the other dragons just as much as he can. And who actually named two of them, so their loyalty would be with her rather than Merlin.

Yeah. Very simple.

As they left the Caves, Merlin was irritated that they hadn't brought horses. They hadn't felt that they were in a hurry. Really, really stupid of him. He sighed irritably.

"Merlin, what else happened in this vision?" asked Arthur from behind—because Merlin hadn't waited for him to get dressed when they left the Caves, so he only just got his trousers back on. He was back in serious mode very quickly.

"Camelot getting destroyed. What else matters?"

Arthur caught up with a few long strides and Merlin could feel him examining his face. "Something else must matter, because something is bothering you."

Merlin looked over to Arthur with a scowl. "Something's bothering me after seeing my home attacked in my head? All of my friends in danger? Imagine that."

He looked back to the road, feeling Arthur's shock at him being so harsh. Merlin didn't care, not at the moment.

Then Arthur stopped him with a hand on the shoulder.

"We don't have time for this. We need to go," Merlin said.

Even though Merlin refused to look at Arthur, he saw Arthur's eyes darken as he returned Merlin's scowl. "Merlin," he said dangerously, "I am still your superior, so if I think we have time, we have time. Now stop and _look_ _at_ _me_."

Merlin sighed again, looking Arthur in the eyes. It was so odd how those eyes could calm him, just a little, just by looking into them. The anger that made them dark left them, making them bright once more—did looking at Merlin soothe Arthur too?

And they stood there for longer than Merlin intended to allow because he kind of got caught in them once he started looking, and they just stared at each other.

When Arthur spoke again, he didn't sound commanding or angry. "Merlin, you're never as efficient when you're angry like this," he said. "I could tell from the stories you told. You told me about the last time you saw the visions, and how your panic made the bad things happen. So you need to calm down and think about this logically. And, hey, I could even help," he added dryly, "even though I'm useless and all." This made Merlin accidentally give a smile. "That's what I like to see," Arthur said. "So tell me what you're hiding from me."

"Oh, budding love. The best distraction in the world, and I didn't even cause it."

They both whipped around at the voice. Merlin's hands curled into fists when he saw the cloaked figure. It was the woman, the dragonlord.

"You!" Merlin yelled. Arthur had the sense not to immediately try to swing his sword, luckily.

"Yes, me!" she mocked. "And you're Merlin, the one that will try to thwart me. As you thwarted Morgana Pendragon all those years ago."

"You followed Morgana?" Merlin accused.

"No, not really. I didn't understand why she wanted Camelot so badly. I understood her cause, but I do not want to rule this place, I want to purge it from existence, purge it with fire like it did to all my kin!"

"Things have changed," Merlin said. "They accept magic now. I have a position in the court as the Court Sorcerer; the druids are Camelot's allies. I know that can't change the past, but neither will destroying innocent people."

"No, it won't change what happened," the woman agreed. "but it will certainly make me feel better about it. And it'll be fun."

Merlin realised in that moment that she could not be negotiated with. This wasn't all revenge for her; it was partially just that she enjoyed to cause pain, which meant she was past his words to help.

So he tried to do a spell to fling her away, but before he finished uttering the words, he felt a sharp pain in his head, and then it went black.

* * *

Arthur couldn't believe Merlin got taken down that easily. It was like old times. Merlin didn't get to make a single move before the sorceress made a branch _thwack_ into the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

But Arthur knew from Merlin's stories that taking him down wasn't easy. This woman must have been very powerful.

Arthur wasn't actually sure what to do. Merlin told him before they left the Caves that he shouldn't recklessly swing at a sorcerer, but he had nothing else he _could_ do. His sword was all he had. And now Merlin was on the ground, blood seeping from his head.

"Something wrong, Arthur Pendragon?" the sorceress asked. He looked up and was surprised that her cloak hood was down. She had dark hair and pale skin with light green eyes. Actually, he looked a little like Morgana, which only made him more confused about what he should do. "You know," she mused, "I thought that watching Camelot fall without being able to do anything to help would be the best way to hurt you, but you give away your heart through your eyes."

He wasn't sure what that meant, and he didn't have enough time to think of a response before she spoke again.

"A Pendragon loving a sorcerer? My, the irony is just intriguing."

"You mean Merlin?" Arthur scoffed. "He's hopeless, can't you tell?"

"You do not fool me. It seems that watching him fall would hurt you far more than watching Camelot fall. I suppose I could change my plan."

Arthur suddenly fell to the ground, feeling completely numb. He was unable to move even an inch.

Then the sorceress made them float, taking the unconscious Merlin and the paralyzed Arthur who knew where.

Arthur's eyes suddenly snapped shut, making him unable to see, but he knew Camelot well. If he paid enough attention, he would be able to figure out where they were.

They went for a long time, but Arthur was able to keep track of where they were until, finally, they stopped.

Then he was able to move and open his eyes again.

Yes, he'd been right about where they were. Still in Camelot, on abandoned property in the forest. They were at the bottom of a well. He looked to Merlin, who he could tell in the semi-darkness was still unconscious.

"Arthur Pendragon, you and Merlin will die down there. And you will be able to hear the destruction of your kingdom while it happens."

He wanted to go up there and throttle her. he wished he had stabbed her when he had the chance. In fact, he still had his sword on him.

"Wondering why I let you keep that?" she asked, as if reading his mind. "I am merciful, you see, and I want to give you the chance to end your own pathetic existence is you so choose. Or save Merlin from his agony. He's bleeding out fast."

Then there was a _whooshing_ sound that could be heard from outside, and Arthur saw a flash of something flying above them and heard a huge _thump_ as it hit the ground.

"Greyda," the voice said, the voice he would not soon forget. It was the Great Dragon. "I thought you were dead until I heard your voice on the wind."

"If only you were that lucky."

"What do you want?" the Dragon asked, obviously angry.

"You must seal the entrance to this well with your dragon's breath."

"You wish to trap a sorcerer?" he asked.

"Why else would I ask you to seal it?" she snapped.

Then a huge dragon's head was at the hole as he looked down at Arthur, meeting his eyes.

"I won't," the Dragon said.

Then the high voice started yelling in that foreign language again, and the dragon closed his eyes, as if in agony. If a dragon can sigh, that's what he did. And then he blew fire at the hole. Arthur cringed, but then the fire did not touch him.

It was beautiful. It was every colour that existed, and then maybe some more that didn't. Slowly, a golden plate began to form in the opening.

He heard the voice in his head, the voice of the dragon.

_A dragon-sealed door cannot be opened by magic. It is the ultimate trap for a sorcerer. But non-magic users can get through. You must get out, and then you must open the seal using—_

Then the voice abruptly stopped and the golden door on the well was finished. It glowed, making it light enough to still see Merlin beside him.

"Using _what?"_ Arthur hollered. "I don't know what I'm doing!"

Silence.

Arthur looked down at Merlin, feeling an aching in his chest. Not knowing what to do, he pulled Merlin up into his lap. He ripped off his shirt and held it to the wound, but it was bleeding a lot.

"Merlin, I need you to wake up. I don't know what to do. Please." He bent down, kissing Merlin's forehead.

But, again, there was silence.

* * *

**Hey there everyone, thanks so much for reading so far! I would give you an estimate of how many more chapters where will be, except I have no idea how many. But yes, thank you for reading, and I really appreciate reviews, so if you could leave some, that would make me that happiest person in all of Camelot. **


	11. The Siege Begins

**I'm sorry I keep taking forever on chapters, guys. I'll try to go faster, just been busy. Hope you like it!**

* * *

Guinevere was preparing the knights for siege as best as she could, but the problem was, she didn't know what was coming. Camelot had been attacked in many ways by sorcerers, sometimes by army, which Morgana often preferred, or sometimes by some less offensive strategy. So, in short, Gwen had absolutely no idea what she was doing and had no way to appease the attacker, seeing as the transgressions were never her fault in the first place. Who knew that more than a decade later, Uther Pendragon's legendary pig-headedness and cruelty would still be haunting her.

"Leon!" she called the moment she saw him. He ran over to her. "Anything?" she asked.

"Nothing," he sighed. "But listen."

She stilled herself, and then strained her ears.

"I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," he said. "Really listen, My Lady."

She considered this. She had everyone in the castle either fleeing to a more secure area or preparing for whatever attack was coming. People should have been running, banging things. There might even be screaming. But all Gwen could hear was complete and utter silence. Not even Leon's breathing.

"What does this mean?" she finally asked him.

"I don't know," he said. "Some kind of magic? I only ever hear anything if people are in my immediate vicinity, but everyone seems to be fine."

Gwen had a feeling it was to intimidate them more than anything.

The calm before the storm.

Gwen took a deep breath. All this work trying to bring peace between her people and sorcerers, just for another war against a magician.

"I just wish—" Gwen began, until she was interrupted by an extremely loud noise outside the castle. She and Leon looked at each other with wide eyes and they, along with the four guards that had been surrounding Gwen (in case of an assassination attempt), all ran towards the ruckus.

It was easy to tell what had happened, because a sizable hole had been created in the castle wall.

"My god!" she yelled, "what happened?"

"You won't believe it," Gwaine yelled, "But it's the dragon! The same one that talked to us when we awoke! He's attacking us!"

"There were other dragons too," someone said.

"Other dragon_s_?" she asked sharply.

"Yes, I think there're four in all, My Lady."

Gwen suddenly put the pieces together. The sorcerer had come into the castle to take the dragon eggs. And if the dragon who was on their side before was now attacking them, and the new dragons had been hatched, then this new enemy could only be one thing…

"It's a dragonlord," she said aloud.

"A dragonlord?" Leon said. "But they're all gone! Uther made sure of that," he added darkly.

"Well he must have missed one," Gwen said. "There's no other reason Kilgharrah would be attacking us."

"That explains why they're doing it," said Elyan, who had just run in to see what the noise was a minute ago. "He's angry Uther killed so many sorcerers, sure, but _all_ of his dragonlord kin were slaughtered."

"I'm not sure it was a 'he'," she added.

"How can it not be a he?" Gwaine retorted. "All dragonlords were men."

"But I saw the figure in the cloak," she said. "The person was small, probably my size, and had a pretty high voice for a man. I think it's a woman. Either that or a teenager, which I doubt. This is a very powerful sorcerer."

"Merlin was this powerful as a teenager, I assure you," said Lancelot, who had arrived on the scene. He stood close to her, but was careful not to show too much affection. They weren't trying to cause a scene, not now.

"Speaking of _Merlin_," Gwaine said. "We really need him right about now. Where is he?"

"I don't know," replied Gwen, "but I have a bad feeling that something's wrong."

"You mean other than the castle getting blown up by dragons?" Gwaine asked.

"With _Merlin,"_ she snapped.

There was silence for a moment.

"We're kind of wasting time just standing here, aren't we?" Elyan muttered.

"What are we supposed to do?" Leon replied. "We can't fight a dragon. Last time with Kilgharrah attacked, Arthur and I were part of a small handful of people that managed to survive, and in the end Merlin was the one to make him go away."

"So we just stand here and let the dragons kill everyone," Gwaine said incredulously.

"No," Gwen said after a moment. "We need to attempt to get people to safety. Leon, take your knights out into town and get as many people as you can to come back to the castle."

"Corral them all?" Gwaine asked. "Is that the best idea?"

"Do you have a better one?" Gwen retorted. There was silence. "That's what I thought. Now, our main goal is to have as many survivors as possible. Try to protect the people. If you can avoid it, do not engage the dragons, even the little ones. Then we wait for Merlin to come. He's our only hope."

They all nodded and left the area, and Gwen just stood there, looking out the hole of the castle at the dragons, who were flying over Camelot like hungry vultures looking for a corpse to munch.

And she couldn't help but wonder if, after all this time and all of the close victories, Camelot had finally come to it's end.

* * *

Merlin awoke and the first thing that came to his mind was "there's no way she should have been able to take me down that easily". Something was wrong with his magic, he knew that. Arthur was hovering, both pretending not to be worried (because that's what he does) and also wanting to see if Merlin was alright. Merlin ignored his "are you feeling okay?" questions because of course he wasn't! He felt like he might throw up and pass out at the same time, but that wasn't really the most important problem at the moment if there was still something wrong with his magic. He expressed the concern to Arthur.

"You seemed perfectly strong the other day with the bandits," Arthur said.

"They were just people. That hardly takes any effort at all."

Arthur looked at him with pursed lips. "You sure about that?"

Merlin laughed, even though it hurt his head. "You aren't just a person. You're the Once and Future King!" This really wasn't completely true, because he probably could take Arthur down rather easily if he _had_ to, but it worked as a response for now.

And it worked, because Arthur smiled. "And you better remember that."

"Of course I will," Merlin said seriously.

But even through the joking, Merlin was still scrambling for answers on the inside. Supposedly, the thing that was making Merlin's magic weaker was grieving while Arthur was gone. But Arthur was back and he and Merlin were… together? Merlin wasn't sure what they were. But he was certainly happy.

Arthur broke the silence by saying, "Merlin, we need to get out of here. You're the only one that can stop her, right?"

Merlin nodded. He was the only one who could stop the dragons. He looked up, twenty feet above them, to the odd, glowing door blocking their escape.

"What is that closed with anyway?" he asked.

"It happened while you were asleep. She had a dragon breathe on the exit, creating a dragon-sealed door."

Merlin's brow furrowed. "I've never heard of that before." He knew there was power in a dragon's breath, like creating Excalibur and giving Merlin powers he'd never been able to do alone in the past, but this was magic he'd never encountered.

"I heard the dragon in my head right before he sealed the door, and he said that sorcerers can't escape this kind of exit, but that normal humans can. He said I had to leave and break the seal using… something."

"Something?"

"His voice suddenly cut off as soon as the seal was finished. Maybe he can't talk through it, or maybe Greyda stopped him. I don't know."

"Greyda?"

"I heard the dragon call the sorceress that."

Merlin nodded. Arthur could leave and find what he needed to break the seal. Scaling the wall probably wouldn't be too bad. But what did he need to break it?

Then Merlin smiled. Of course.

"What _are_ you smiling about?" Arthur asked with a little exasperation.

"A sword forged in a dragon's breath," he muttered.

"What?"

"A door forged in a dragon's breath can be broken by a sword forged in a dragon's breath! You must find Excalibur again!"

"And where is it?"

"At the bottom of the Lake of Avalon."

"At the bottom of a lake," Arthur said dryly. "Then how am I supposed to get it?"

"The Lady of the Lake will give it to you because the sword was meant for you."

"The Lady of the—"

That was when they heard the first mighty roar of a dragon and they both looked to each other with wide eyes.

"There's not time for questions," Merlin said. "You must scale the walls, get the sword, and come back and break the seal."

Arthur didn't move though. "But what about you?"

"What do you mean what about me? I can't leave."

"I know," Arthur said, "but I can't take care of you while I'm gone. What if you… if you…" he trailed off, unable to finish.

"I won't," Merlin said. "Not if you get a move on."

Arthur just barely smiled, then bent down and kissed Merlin. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"You better be."

He grinned and Arthur began to scale the wall. He realised that he was feeling really dizzy. He, in his state, didn't think until then to heal himself. He put his hand on the back of his head and muttered an incantation. He didn't notice any visible difference. Maybe he was too weak.

Arthur got to the top, and experimented putting his hand against the door, but it went right through. He looked back down to Merlin.

"Hurry!" Merlin said.

And Arthur climbed out and was gone.


	12. The Dying Words

**Again, a long pause between chapters, but at least this is a long one! By the way, if I'm taking forever, feel free to send me a PM telling me to hurry it up! **

**I'm not quite sure how many more chapters there will be. Maybe three? But anyway, here you go, peoples.**

* * *

The last thing Arthur expected when he was walking towards the Lake of Avalon was for Lancelot to suddenly appear.

"Lancelot, what are you doing here? You should be defending Camelot."

"I got a feeling," he said, "that you and Merlin were in trouble. I came to find you."

"On your own?"

"Everyone else is trying to get the people to safety."

"What about fighting the dragons?" Arthur insisted.

"Guinevere decided it was better not to try to confront them."

"And let them destroy the city?" Arthur asked angrily.

"I figured it wouldn't be your choice of action, but for some reason, you haven't taken up your rightful place as King since you arrived."

It was the first time someone had said it so bluntly like that and Arthur felt uncomfortable. He kept walking and Lancelot followed swiftly behind. He thought Lancelot might drop it, but then he said, "Don't you want the throne back, Arthur?"

Arthur shrugged.

"But it's your position," Lancelot insisted. "I think Guinevere has done a wonderful job, don't misunderstand me, but _you_ are the King of Camelot."

Arthur was trying to keep a hold on his temper. "I was," he said tersely.

"Don't you want to be anymore?"

"What if I don't deserve it?" he finally roared, having lost his grip on his control for the moment it took to have an outburst.

Lancelot only looked mildly surprised.

"Why wouldn't you deserve it?"

"I'm the one that hesitated when I saw Mordred. I died when my people needed me. Doesn't that mean I ruined my chance at ruling? Doesn't that mean I'm not the King my people deserve?"

"Arthur," Lancelot said with a small smile on his face, "It's not often Kings come back from the dead. Doesn't just that sheer fact imply that you're exactly what the people need?"

"But you even said so, Guinevere has done a good job."

"You're right, she has. But you're here for a very specific reason, Arthur, not just to be King."

"Which is?"

"Merlin performs better when he's happy."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Why do I make him happy anyway?"

"I think you give yourself too little credit, my friend. Merlin adores you."

"And hates me simultaneously."

"Maybe sometimes," Lancelot agreed. "But isn't that just the way with love?"

"_Love_?" Arthur coughed. "What is it with you and Guinevere and throwing that word around all the time?"

"Because it's true. It's silly that you both refuse to admit it."

"We aren't admitting it because it's not true," Arthur muttered. Sure, things had gotten… intimate with Merlin lately, but he couldn't be _in_ _love_ with him. It was probably the most preposterous thing he had ever heard.

Then they broke through the last layer of trees and reached the Lake of Avalon. Arthur was paying more attention to the water than to Lancelot's words, so he only just barely heard him say, "Maybe not admitting it is exactly Merlin's problem."

Arthur ignored the comment, not really even sure what he meant, and looked to the water.

"Why have we stopped?" asked Lancelot. "Where is Merlin anyway?" He apparently had only just thought about the fact that it was odd that he wasn't there.

Arthur explained about the trap and how they needed the sword to get him out.

"And the sword is here somewhere?" Lancelot asked.

"At the bottom of the lake. There is some Lady of the Lake I'm supposed—"

Arthur was ready to finish explaining when he heard a splash out in the lake. Both men looked over in alarm to see something odd. A pale arm stuck out of the water, and in the hand of it was the sword Arthur needed.

"I'm guessing that's the Lady of the Lake," Lancelot said dryly.

"It'd seem so, yes. But how do we get it all the way out there?"

Lancelot gestured to a boat on the shore.

Arthur grumbled for a moment. "Of course," he mumbled. "Can't you just bring it here?" he called. The arm didn't move. "Oh fine, I'm coming."

* * *

Gwen was getting desperate. All four dragons, even the little ones, were causing havoc. The tiny ones were strong and able to pick up a full grown person in their claws and throw them into other people. It had only happened once or twice, since the knights stopped them most of the time. They also couldn't blow fire, but both Kilgharrah and Aithusa could, so that wasn't that much of a bonus, in the end.

Most people had been taken to safety, but that didn't change the fact that the city was getting destroyed. If all their resources were obliterated, how would they rebuild? And if they couldn't rebuild, what did that mean for Camelot?

Gwen was worried, both about the kingdom and about where Merlin, Arthur, and Lancelot were. She told him not to go, but he had insisted, and now she just had one more person to fret over.

And, all the time, there was the voice on the wind, speaking things in what could only be the dragon's language, telling them to keep destroying.

Once, Killgharrah was able to land in the hole in the wall where Gwen still watched. "I am sorry, my Lady," he told her, and then he flew away once more.

Gwen watched him fly away and blow fire towards the ground.

"Merlin, where _are_ you?" she said aloud.

* * *

Arthur and Lancelot nearly ran back to the well. Arthur was the one who wielded the sword—since apparently it was made for him—and he stabbed through the golden plate like it was made of warm butter. It immediately melted away, like it had never existed at all.

"Merlin! Come up now!" Arthur called down.

But Merlin didn't move. Arthur took a closer look. Merlin's eyes were shut, his face horrifyingly pale.

Arthur wasted no time. He started to climb down the well, and got to Merlin's side in ten seconds.

"Merlin," he hissed, shaking him. Merlin's eyes fluttered and then shut again. "You are _not_ dying on me, you stupid oaf. So just wake up."

"You're… you're the stupid one," Merlin said weakly, pulling an unwilling smile out of Arthur.

"Merlin, I don't know what to do," Arthur said. "How do I make you better?"

"I need herbs," Merlin said. "Healing herbs from my quarters. Problem is, I'm not sure I'll make it to my quarters."

Arthur's face became determined. "Oh, you'll make it," Arthur said. "I won't let you die, you hear me?"

When Merlin didn't respond, Arthur stood up and hung Merlin over his shoulder. God, he was light. Arthur crawled up the wall and Lancelot was waiting.

"Wait, Arthur, stop," Merlin murmured. "Put me down."

"No."

"I just want to say something," he said.

Arthur sighed heavily and set Merlin down. "I'm not going to make it back to Camelot," Merlin said.

"Yes you are," Arthur insisted, going to pick him up again.

"No, Arthur, I don't want to die hung over your back!" he insisted. "Will you just hold me?"

Arthur was struck by the words, the same ones he'd said to Merlin himself.

"I can't let you die," Arthur whimpered. "I only just got you back."

Merlin let out a harsh chuckle. "_I'm_ the one who just got _you_ back, clotpole. You were busy being dead."

"I'm sorry about that," Arthur added.

"What, for dying? It's not like you did it on purpose."

_Always a pain, even when bleeding out_, Arthur thought fondly. "For not being the King you deserved."

Merlin shook his head. "Arthur, you idiot, you're the best King Camelot will ever know."

Arthur looked down at Merlin. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course I do. What, have you lost your confidence?"

"A bit, yeah," Arthur admitted.

"Well you came back to be King, so why don't you do it?"

"No, I came back to help you, that's what I'm going to do."

"Arthur," Merlin said tiredly, "I told you, I'm finished. Let me go."

"Never," said Arthur, picking up Merlin again and starting to run. Merlin was unable to say anything loud enough for Arthur to hear at that point, but Arthur kept his hand wound around Merlin's wrist so he could feel for his pulse as he ran. It was weak, but there.

Lancelot was running after Arthur.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"Merlin needs herbs from his quarters," Arthur said.

"That's too far," Lancelot said. "It'll take hours to get there."

"What else can we do?"

"What herbs?" Lancelot asked. "Maybe we could pick them out here!"

Arthur stopped running. "Would you be able to find them if Merlin told you what they were."

"Yes," Lancelot said confidently.

"Merlin," Arthur whispered to him. "What herbs do you need?"

Merlin listed off three and Lancelot immediately went searching.

And by some miracle, what they needed was out there. Lancelot found it in less than ten minutes.

"Merlin," Arthur said, setting him down. "We found them."

But Merlin's eyes stayed shut.

"Merlin!" Arthur said again.

Nothing.

Arthur, in frustration and desperation, leaned down and kissed Merlin.

To his relief, Merlin sucked in a deeper breath and opened his eyes a little. "Well hello there," he said, somehow managing to smile.

"Here are the herbs."

Merlin looked at them. "_You_ found herbs? _You_?"

"Is this really the time for teasing?" Arthur snapped. "Take them and use them!"

Merlin commanded Lancelot and Arthur to smash it up and rub it on his head wound. Then Merlin had to do a spell.

"My magic's been off though," he said quietly. "I don't know if it'll work."

"It will," Arthur said. "I believe in you."

Merlin smiled. "Do you?"

"Can we not have this conversation now?" Arthur insisted again.

"Right, sorry."

Merlin but his hand on the back of his own head and muttered a long incantation.

His eyes flashed yellow and immediately colour returned to his face. His eyes opened wider.

"Merlin," Arthur sighed in relief.

Merlin stood clumsily.

"You need to rest," Lancelot said.

"No," Merlin insisted. "I need to stop Greyda."

"You're too weak right now," Lancelot insisted.

"It doesn't matter. We're running out of time."

And the three of them made their way for Camelot.

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**Hope you liked the new chapter. Let me know what you think in a review!**


	13. The Weakened Magic

**So, here is the actual chapter, along with my little temper tantrum. **

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_**Recently I've gotten a couple anonymous reviews on this story, leaving insulting things about me as a person and about liking Merthur at all. I've deleted them now, but I am a bit known for my temper in real life, so I would just like to say something.**_

_**To these people, I say that the story is clearly labeled as a Merthur, so if you don't like the coupling and think it's "immature", as one of you said, then don't open it up. What's really immature is opening up a story fully intending to say rude things just because your life is dull and you've nothing better to do.**_

_**Secondly, I appreciate constructive criticism in my work, because, believe it or not, I'm a serious writer (I write original novels too, so this isn't just a hobby, it's me exploring whether or not people like my writing style enough for me to publish), but saying things about me as a person doesn't help me write. Reviews should be telling me things in my story that I am actually capable of changing, but as this story IS A MERTHUR, leaving a review saying you don't like that aspect is useless and rude.**_

_**Lastly, any such comments will be immediately deleted, because I have no use for them, so don't bother leaving them. Please and thank you.**_

_**I feel much better now. I apologise to the rest of you who are decent people for having to read this, but I just had to get it off my chest.**_

* * *

Merlin wasn't feeling fantastic, but there really wasn't much else he could do at this point. From the sounds echoing through the forest, Camelot would be destroyed before he had time to get better.

While they were walking through the forest, he called to the dragons. What else could he do? As he figured, they did not come to him, as Greyda's voice could be heard on the wind, also trying to command them. But the sounds of destruction did halt momentarily, so Merlin must have confused the dragons at least. He knew he was more powerful than this sorceress, but with the fact that something was wrong with his magic anyway and he was still woozy from almost bleeding out, he understood how they were evenly matched.

Which brought him to the fact that, somehow, Merlin healed his own head wound. Something had been different when he tried to do magic that time, he knew it. He tried to think back on his surroundings, on his…

Then he blinked rapidly, stopped his walking for a moment.

Arthur. Arthur was the common link. In the Caves, he and Arthur were… well, were together, and Merlin was able to use a crystal to see the future. And just then, Arthur had been leaning over him.

But his magic had not worked properly when they first encountered the sorceress, and Arthur had been there too. So what was the difference?

Merlin thought harder. There had to be an actual connection.

With the sorceress, they had been talking. Merlin had been hiding what he saw in the crystals from Arthur.

So the only difference Merlin could see was that he was being dishonest when his powers didn't work. But how could dishonesty affect him? It didn't make sense. There had to be a reason that wasn't silly like that.

Then there was a voice in his head. _Merlin, thank you for freeing me._

Merlin actually stopped this time, for long enough that Arthur and Lancelot noticed, turning to look at him curiously.

"Merlin, we need to move," Arthur said. Merlin ignored him.

_It worked?_ Merlin asked back in his head. He'd learned to communicate with Kilgharrah in his head long ago.

"Is something wrong?" asked Lancelot. Merlin held up a finger at him, telling him to wait.

_Only for me. My will to serve you is stronger than it is to serve her. I am an ancient dragon, so it's amazing a weakling witch like her could command me at all. Your words were enough to free me, but the younger dragons still fight for Greyda. _

_What do I do, Kilgharrah? My magic, it's still weak._

_You were only just thinking it, young warlock._

_What, lying to Arthur makes my magic weaker?_ Merlin thought exasperatedly. _That's stupid._

_No, Merlin, lying to yourself makes you weaker. Arthur is your other half, and as such, trying to fool him is the same as fooling yourself. And lying to yourself, yes, that is enough to weaken you._

_What am I lying about now, then?_

_I think you know, Merlin. _

Merlin thought for a moment, and then looked to Arthur again. It couldn't be _that_, could it?

_You seem to understand now_, Kilgharrah confirmed.

_But what do I do to fix it?_ Merlin pleaded. _What do I say?_

_When the time comes, you will know._

Merlin nodded, but still felt confused.

_For now,_ the dragon said, _go to Greyda. Challenge her. _

Merlin nodded. "I will," he said aloud on accident. He looked up to Lancelot and Arthur, who were still staring at him. Arthur with that face he made when he thought Merlin was a complete psychopath. It made Merlin smile.

"Just talking to myself," he said, and started walking again.

"Merlin, you have got to be one of the strangest people I've ever known," Arthur said.

"Probably," Merlin agreed.

He still smiled outwardly, but inside, he was trying to figure out how any of this made any actual sense. How could it be that holding in how he truly felt about Arthur was causing him magic not to work? How was that possible?

There had to be something else he could do. Because talking to Arthur, about _that_, sounded scarier than fighting a few rebellious dragons, honestly. Merlin had never had to tell anyone he felt that way about them. He wasn't sure he wanted to start now.

So he kept walking towards where Greyda waited, desperately thinking of how to make his magic function correctly before he met her.


	14. The Empowering Confession

**Just so you know, if you haven't read chapter thirteen, you skipped it. I gave you two chapters at a time this time as an apology for making you think there was a new chapter with my temper tantrum. So go back and read 13 before you read this one. Thanks!**

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Guinevere sighed in relief when Kilgharrah flew into the hole she was still dazedly standing in and didn't try to kill her. A very good thing, because she would've been fried for sure if he were still in attack-mode, for she felt so shocked by all that was happening, so hopeless, she could hardly move.

Seeing him now made her move though.

"I am sorry for all that has happened," said the dragon wearily.

Gwen immediately narrowed her eyes at the dragons. "Are you alright?" she asked carefully.

"You see much, Guinevere," he said in an amused way. "I am simply old."

"You don't mean..."

"That I'm dying?" he asked. "I've been dying for nearly a decade. My time is finished. I shall return to the energy of the Earth, where I began. It is only the circle of life."

"Has this exertion made the day come sooner?"

He huffed. "I fear so," he admitted.

"How long do you have?" she asked.

"Even I do not know when I will die, and that is not why I came to speak with you."

"Then what is it, Kilgharrah?"

"Camelot will rebuild, and Arthur will retake his place on the throne."

She nodded. "I knew he was avoiding it for some reason."

"Indeed, but Lancelot has spoken with him and made him see reason."

Hearing his name made Gwen smile. "That's good," she said.

"You know, I have lived a long time," the dragon said suddenly, "and still, even I feel warmth in my heart at the sight of love." The words surprised Gwen, and she looked up at him, waiting for more. "You know who your King loves." Gwen nodded. "And even though you are going on separate paths now, you must still share the throne."

"You think so?" Gwen asked.

"Arthur needs your wisdom. And..." Kilgharrah added, "I don't think everyone would be happy about the announcement that the King and Queen are separating."

"I know," Gwen agreed.

"You must hide it from the people." Kilgharrah's head waved and his eyelids drooped. Gwen feared he had even less time than he had insinuated. Why else would he be talking about something like this while three young dragons terrorised Camelot?

"I will," she agreed.

"Now I will try to stop the other dragons."

"But Kilgharrah, your strength. You can't."

"And yet I must."

And before she could say anything else, he flew away. Thinking of losing the dragon and his wisdom really did make her sad.

* * *

Merlin found the clearing where the sorceress waited, chanting to the dragons. The destruction had continued, and even though Kilgharrah seemed to have stopped helping, even three small dragons could do damage, and he could hear it being done as he entered the area where she waited.

He told Arthur and Lancelot to stay in the woods. They both tried to argue, but he said that they would only be another target for Greyda and that they could run out to his rescue if it looked like Merlin was losing.

"Merlin," she said when she saw him. "I knew you would get out eventually, but I hoped it would be after your city had fallen.

"Greyda, this is insane," Merlin said. "Queen Guinevere has done nothing but try to help your people."

"_My_ people? All my people are _dead_!" she screeched.

"I'm not," Merlin said, stepping forward. "I'm very much alive, and you're the one who threw me in a well to die, not Gwen. Think about what you're doing. Abusing the dragons like this. As the one of the last dragonlords, you should be helping them to grow up safely, not making them kill for you the moment they're born."

Her upper lip twitched, like she just barely heard what Merlin had said and understood it. But that was enough. If she could be reasoned with at all, Merlin would find a way.

"What Uther did to our people was beyond wrong," Merlin said. "I know that. They were my family too. But that does not pass on to Gwen. She is a great queen."

"Gwen," Greyda spat. "You have a nickname for her."

"I knew her when she was just a servant to Morgana."

Greyda froze. "She worked for Morgana?"

"Yes. Back before greed and hatred consumed her."

Greyda sneered again. "Oh, _then_. Morgana mentioned the days when she was weak, conformed to what Uther wished."

Merlin figured this woman had known Morgana, but if she was going this as revenge because of Morgana's death, she had waited an awful long time to exploit it.

"That doesn't change that Gwen isn't just a royal who doesn't understand the people. She was the people. And she is my friend, not just my queen."

"And you are weak too!" yelled Greyda.

Merlin sighed. "I'm trying to help you here, Greyda. Because if you don't agree to stop this, I'll have to stop you myself."

"You cannot stop me! Your powers do not work the way they should. I can see just by looking at you. There is a block in the heart of your soul, black with grief and mistrust and fear. You cannot stop me with your heart battling your soul!"

Even this Greyda could see the problem when he hadn't been able to?

But he shook his head. There had to be another way. It was too sentimental to be the truth.

So Merlin chanted something quickly to send Greyda flying, but just like before, she was able to send him back first. This time, he didn't knock his head quite so hard, but he felt like he was being forced into the ground, unable to move.

Then Merlin nearly choked on nothing when he heard the voice.

"Let him go!" Arthur yelled to the sorceress.

"Arthur!" Merlin pleaded. "Run!"

But it was too late. Greyda sent Arthur flying through the air, and he knocked into a tree hard, falling to the ground.

Merlin glared up at her, almost feeling Arthur's pain with him.

"You'll regret that," Merlin hissed, starting to get up. Greyda looked at him with wide eyes, trying to continue her spell, but Merlin was still standing up slowly. "You do not hurt the people I love!" Merlin was surprised at how easy it actually was to say. "Arthur," he called over his shoulder at the prone figure by the tree. "I love you, you clotpole."

Then he looked back to Greyda, who was gaping at him. He almost _felt_ as the black mass in his chest started to dissolve away, as if all the hurt he had been holding in from the years without Arthur was disappearing.

Merlin did an incantation and before Greyda could even think to counter it, she was flying halfway across the clearing, hitting the ground with a _bang_. Merlin smiled. Now _that_ was how his magic was supposed to work.

He ran up to her and she already had open eyes.

"Please," she said. "I am your kin."

"No," Merlin disagreed. "You lost that privilege when you hurt Arthur."

And Merlin didn't know how he knew how to do it, but he muttered ancient words and the ground began to swallow Greyda. She looked up at him with wide, scared eyes, but she had very little time to do so, as soon all that was in her place was a dark crack in the ground.

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**There's probably only one or two more chapters left. Please review!**


	15. The Loving Reuinions

**I decided to go ahead and just finish now. Welcome to the conclusion of****_ Seven Years Later_****. I was starting to think I was never going to finish! Sorry it's really short, I just didn't know what else to say. **

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When Lancelot got back to the castle, Gwen had to use a great deal of self-control not to sprint over to him and kiss him right where he stood.

As it was, she and Lancelot were doing a terrible job of following Kilgharrah's advice to hide the relationship, because Gwaine said, "Go get him," with a smile on his face when Lancelot came in. And Leon, who Gwen knew was secretly a sucker for a love story, looked at Gwen with a warm smile.

Gwen was able to walk to Lancelot calmly.

"I hear yo convinced Arthur to take back the throne."

"Once he wakes up, I think he will," Lancelot said.

"You don't seem worried that he won't wake up," Gwen said.

"Neither do you."

Gwen smiled. "True."

"He has Merlin," Lancelot said. "Merlin wouldn't let Arthur die. Plus, Arthur's had worse than a hit to the head."

"Probably true also," Gwen sighed. Then she said, more loudly, "Lancelot, I must show you something in the council chambers."

He looked at her seriously, but his eyes were shining with amusement.

"Lead the way, My Lady."

There was little point to the secrecy, as Gwaine, Elyan, Percival, and Leon all stood there laughing and rolling their eyes, but she was going to try anyway, as it was Kilgharrah's last wish.

So she took Lancelot into the chamber and immediately jumped on him and kissed him.

"I love you," she said.

He grinned. "And I love you."

"But you know we must hide it, don't you?" she said.

His smile went away a little, but his eyes still glowed. "A small price to pay." He raised her hand and kissed it. "As long as I have you."

Gwen smiled. "You do. Always."

* * *

Arthur groggily awoke to Merlin's goofy, smiling face. He'd never been so happy to see it.

"You're alive then," Arthur said nonchalantly.

"I gave it my best shot, but it seems I will get no mercy from your stupidity by dying."

"Guess that means you're meant to stay with me."

Merlin smiled again and looked around the room, making sure nobody was there. Then he leaned forward and kissed Arthur softly.

"Wait," Arthur said, jumping up. He ignored the pain in his neck and head and back and… well, everywhere. "What about the dragons? And the sorceress?"

"Calm down," Merlin laughed. "It's all taken care of. As it has been for two days."

"Two days?" Arthur yelped. "I've been asleep for two days?"

"She threw you really hard," Merlin said matter-of-factly.

"But when she hit you with that tree, you were only out for an hour or two!"

"Yes, that's because I'm the most powerful sorcerer who ever lived," Merlin said teasingly. "You're just the most annoying royal ever to live, and that's not that great."

"You're the biggest idiot who ever lived, that's what you are," Arthur muttered, but the two looked at each other another moment and at the same time, came forward and put their arms around each other.

"You really scared me, you know," Merlin said.

"You scared me too," Arthur replied.

"And that's hard to do," Merlin added.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Could you not ruin the moment?"

Merlin let go and grinned. "I'll always ruin the moment, Arthur. It's what I do. Take it or leave it."

Arthur smiled back. "I guess I'll take it. Because I have no better option." But then Arthur's brows pulled together. "But what about your powers? You said they weren't working."

Merlin opened his mouth, but then shut it again. "I was going to lie, but then that's what caused the problem in the first place, so I probably shouldn't." Arthur hardly had enough time to look confused before Merlin continued, "It's going to sound really stupid, and like some story in a book, but apparently… love saved the day."

"Love?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah," Merlin muttered. "I had to admit I was in love."

Arthur's mouth popped open, just as little, as he comprehended that.

Love?

Arthur had tried to tell himself he didn't love Merlin. How could he? It just seemed stupid. But as Merlin's sapphire eyes glowed and he smiled that stupid, amazing smile of his that Arthur had loved since the beginning, Arthur thought it was probably stupid to deny the truth any longer.

"In love with who, then?" Arthur asked gruffly, just to stall.

"An idiot," Merlin said. "Don't even know why I like him. I must have bad taste."

"I think I have bad taste too," Arthur replied. "Because I'm also in love with an idiot."

Merlin smiled as if it was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard and Arthur felt like all his innards were melting.

"Then why don't we be idiots together then?"

"I like the sound of that."

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**To those of you amazing people that have been following this story from the beginning, getting each update—or if you only just found it today and still read the whole thing—thank you so much for reading all the way through. I really hope you liked it, especially after having worked on it for so many weeks! I hope it met your expectations.**

**For any of you that have not reviewed thus far, I would really love it if you would now, just to tell me what you thought of it. It will help me in my later writing. And if you already have reviewed, feel free to do it again! **

**I take requests on new stories, if you have any one-shot Merthurs you'd like to see, but otherwise, thanks for reading, and have a good life. **


	16. Extra Chapter: The Heated Journey 2

**So, at several requests, both in reviews and PMs, I have created an alternate version of chapter 8, The Heated Journey, where their almost sex does not get interrupted by the crystals and becomes actual sex. It starts out the exact same as chapter 8, but veers off partway through. So basically, just a bunch of smut. People seemed quite interested. I've never written legitimate smut like this, so don't make fun of me if it sucks. I tried my best. Enjoy. But not too much. ;D**

* * *

Ever since Arthur had attacked Merlin with a kiss after the bandits, Merlin was feeling extremely hot and bothered. Merlin was starting to realise that Arthur was acting the way he was because of Merlin doing magic.

Arthur actually liked watching Merlin use sorcery. He didn't just like it, he thought it was attractive. Appealing. Arousing? Merlin never thought he'd see the day.

And so, Merlin admitted he started using magic for things he didn't necessarily need to. Deepening his voice, exaggerating the gestures, and using as many words as possible for simple tasks. Each time, Arthur would watch him closely with heavy lidded eyes, occasionally bite or lick his lips. After the first time, he didn't lose control again, only gazed at Merlin with poorly-hidden longing.

By the time they reached the Cave, their usual banter had been abandoned and they had spent more than an hour walking in silence, looking at each other occasionally and locking eyes, communicating their need for each other without words.

"We're here," Merlin said quietly. Merlin held his hand out for Arthur, who wasn't even in the mood to make a joke about it and just took it silently. Merlin definitely felt the heat there in Arthur's skin, like what he felt inside was being translated outside too. As soon as their skin met, they met eyes again, both seeming surprised by how much sensation there was there.

They had already slept together once. Merlin was a little confused as to why the attraction between them was so overwhelmingly strong now, as if they never had before.

He concluded that it was just different. Before, it was a reunion, for they hadn't seen each other for so long. It was also a confession, since neither of them had actually admitted their feelings before then. They had been shy, in some ways, reserved.

But the reservations were gone now. There was nobody in the area to hear them, or to look for them. There was no ambiguity on Arthur's situation with Gwen. They were past the point of being ashamed of how they felt.

Merlin shook his head, abandoning his thoughts so he could lead Arthur into the Cave.

And when they went in, instead of looking around at the beauty of the Crystal Cave—which he had already seen before, first of all, but also he was afraid that as soon as he looked, he would be sucked into a vision—he watched Arthur for his reaction.

And it was even more satisfying than Merlin expected it to be. Arthur's jaw dropped as his eyes met all the crystals in the room, protruding from every surface and shattering rainbows over everything. His eyes scanned the area and he was completely and utterly silent. Merlin continued to watch him, tiny rainbows shining in the blue of Arthur's eyes.

"Wow," he finally muttered. Merlin smiled at Arthur's awe. "How could my father ever have thought that magic was all evil?" he asked, not seeming to actually want an answer. Then Arthur looked to Merlin. "Do magic again."

The sense of command in Arthur's voice made his lower abdomen burn. How or when Arthur bossing him around had gone from frustrating to sensual, Merlin didn't know, but he found he actually wanted to obey without argument for once.

He lifted his arm slowly, pointing it straight at Arthur and savouring the anticipation in his eyes. Then he growled out the incantation. After eyeing Merlin for a few moments, Arthur looked around in confusion when nothing seemed to happen.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Step back," Merlin said.

Arthur lifted a brow at him, but still stepped back. Then he gasped in surprise when the ground beneath his feet didn't feel like stone anymore. He sat down, pressing his hands into what looked like rock. Merlin could see the ground squish beneath him.

"It's soft like a bed," Arthur marveled. Merlin nodded and Arthur met his eyes again, an almost tangible flame burning between them. "Come here," he ordered, and Merlin had to suppress a smile as he came towards Arthur. Arthur glanced at the bed, then at Merlin. He took this as a command to sit down, and before his ass had even touched the ground, Arthur was upon him, his burning lips pressed against Merlin's, his hands roaming everywhere and unclothing the sorcerer as they went. Arthur separated for a moment to look at Merlin suggestively and Merlin took this chance to mutter another spell. Suddenly, Arthur's clothes vanished from his body, folded in a neat pile a few feet away. Merlin took a moment to admire Arthur's exposed dick, already hard, but then met Arthur's eyes. Merlin thought Arthur might be mad at him for taking so much control, but he actually grinned.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of that," Arthur muttered. "I can't think of anything more erotic."

Merlin gave Arthur a mischievous smile. "Oh, can't you? I can."

Before Arthur could say anything, Merlin bent down and put his mouth around Arthur's shaft, savouring the gasp of surprise that Arthur gave at the action. Arthur's fingers tangled in Merlin's hair and he grunted appreciatively.

After a minute of that, Arthur shoved at Merlin's shoulders, making him fall back on the bed, and then fell on top of him. Arthur held both of Merlin's wrists above his head with one hand and kissed Merlin hard. Merlin fought against Arthur's hand feebly, surprised that the helpless feeling only made him want Arthur more. But then at the same time, he wanted to touch Arthur too, so he used magic to make Arthur lose his grip.

And Merlin was extremely surprised when Arthur spanked him. Hard.

Merlin gasped. "I thought you never get tired of my magic," he panted, more surprised at how the stinging of his ass was actually pleasurable than at the fact that Arthur hit him in the first place. It's not like Arthur hadn't hit him before. But the fact that Merlin liked the feeling of Arthur hitting him… that was weird.

"I didn't want you to move," Arthur said, seizing Merlin's wrists again. "I like them up there."

Merlin could have argued, and he almost did, but then he decided he didn't really mind it, so he stayed silent and Arthur continued to kiss him, growling things in his ear. Arthur was like some type of animal suddenly, all primal instinct and pure, unashamed need.

And Merlin couldn't think of anything hotter.

He just let Arthur do as he pleased, and he was riding on the waves of how Arthur felt more than how he himself felt. It had always been that way with Merlin. Arthur was all that mattered, which was why nothing mattered during the time Arthur was gone.

But now he was back, and Merlin intended to take advantage of it.

Arthur, just then, stopped what he was doing, looking down at Merlin with eyes bright with arousal and excitement.

He leaned into Merlin. "I'm going to take you now. Hard. And you're going to like it."

Merlin gulped, but still felt thrill twist in him at the threat/promise. Merlin, without mentioning it to Arthur, breathed out an incantation to slick up the tightly muscled hole that Arthur was getting ready to thrash. He would be a lot more likely to enjoy it if it didn't rip him to pieces. Then again, though, this was Arthur, so it might anyway. That's just how he was. Merciless. Powerful. Dominant. Merlin loved that about him.

Arthur looked Merlin hard in the eyes as he poised his prick just at the edge of the ring of muscles, teasing Merlin enough that he glared. Then, slowly the first time, he eased in, filling Merlin to the brim. He breathed out hard for a moment, getting used to the mostly foreign sensation—once really wasn't enough to get used to it.

Arthur started out slow, painfully, cruelly slow. All the while, he had this amused glint in his eye and Merlin knew he was only doing it to drive Merlin crazy, to reduce him to begging.

But Merlin wouldn't beg. No, not from Arthur. He would never hear the end of it.

But then, a few minutes later, he broke his own promise. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Arthur, _please_," Merlin whimpered.

Arthur gave an evil grin. "What was that?"

"_Please_," Merlin repeated more insistently.

Arthur grinned wider, but then obliged, quickly picking up the pace to just on the edge between pleasure and pain. Merlin was surprised, again, that he enjoyed it like that. And he was glad, very glad, that the Caves were in the middle of nowhere, because he was really moaning now, unable to keep quiet.

"Oh, _god_," Merlin hissed, screwing his eyes shut.

Merlin could feel a sudden flooding of heat in his abdomen and knew he was close.

Then Arthur said roughly, "I want you to come for me."

And oh, he did. With a gasp that bordered on a scream, he same all over he and Arthur, and Merlin could feel it when Arthur followed suit. It only increased the pleasure for him to feel that.

Then Merlin muttered another incantation, cleaning up the mess.

"That's really helpful, you know," Arthur said jokingly, back to his normal self almost unnervingly quickly. He lay down next to Merlin, just gazing at him with a half-smile on his face.

"It's not only useful for sex," Merlin said matter-of-factly.

"I'm sure. But that's probably its best use. That thing with the clothes, that was good."

Merlin grinned. "I thought so too."

It almost amazed him, the way they could go from completely sexual to just friendly again, sharing in banter like they always did. He was glad this didn't change their relationship, at least not completely.

"We came here for something specific, you know," Merlin said, almost glancing over to the crystals."

"I know," Arthur sighed, "I just don't care right now. Camelot can wait an hour, can't it?" Arthur opened his arms invitingly.

Merlin smiled a little. "Yes, I think it can," he replied, nestling himself in Arthur's arms.

* * *

**I've gotten requests to do a modern AU Merthur one-shot, so I might soon. Keep a look-out for it!**


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